When Fiction Becomes Reality
by Bella-of-the-Ball
Summary: Bella is a writer whose most successful book is one she wrote about Edward, her high school crush. Edward is now an A-list actor and has signed on to star in a movie based on Bella’s creation. Will Edward make fiction a reality for Bella? All human
1. Chapter 1

**When Fiction Becomes Reality**

Disclaimer: All Stephenie's Characters, but I think my idea's pretty cool.

Summary:"Bella is a published writer whose most successful book is one she wrote about Edward, her high school crush. Edward is now an A-list actor and has signed on to star in a movie based on Bella's creation. Will Edward make fiction a reality for Bella when he realizes that he was the sole inspiration for her book? What will Bella do when she finds out?"

This is primarily Edward and Bella. There's a little bit of Alice and Jasper. I haven't decided how Emmett and Rosalie will play into the story yet.

**AN: Please Review if you want more!**

CHAPTER 1

**BPOV**

_**Two Years Ago:**_

I walked past my kitchen table as I hastily picked up a piece of crumbled cake from the graduation party my parents flew into town to throw for me yesterday. Over half of the cake had been devoured by the many guests who came for the free food, so that it now read: "Congratul…College Gra...Class of 20…"

I recalled last night's events as I vaguely remembered walking down the edge of the full stadium, in a sea of blue gowns, the anti-climactic moment over almost as soon as it had begun. I could barely see my parents in the distant crowd as I waved in the general direction of where I knew they were standing so they could take a quick snapshot. I was almost sure the picture would be blurry anyway, or at the very least, I most definitely wasn't looking at the camera.

The party was a blur as well. Alice, my best friend, insisted on driving back to her house to grab something before we went to meet her boyfriend, Jasper, for a celebratory lunch with all of our parents. Of course, she knew that the only way she could convince me to have a party was to go about it without me knowing.

My face turned red, predictably, as old friends and acquaintances jumped out at me when Alice led me through the front door. I put on the best face that I could manage as people hugged me and gave me pats from all different directions. I willed myself not to look as uncomfortable as I felt.

I self-consciously tucked my long brown hair behind my ears and smiled at the familiar faces. A few awkward seconds passed before Alice raised her small arms in the air. "Who wants some music?" She raced over to her stereo and plugged in her iPod.

The presence of music relaxed me a little as I tried my best to keep up with the conversations people were starting with me.

However, it didn't take me long to figure out that I was bound to have a miserable time, when the first question to pop out of everyone's mouth was, "So what are your plans now?" It was either that, or, "A degree in English, huh? What do you plan to do with that?"

In a perfect world, I would smile at them confidently and give my answer, _"Well, I'm getting my book published."_

_And their smiles would falter, as they would clarify my answer. "You wrote a book?" They would be astonished that I was so young and accomplished already._

_And I would smile again. "Mmmhmm. I just got the letter yesterday, and I'm meeting with a literary agent tomorrow."_

_And they would all close their mouths after wishing me good luck and congratulations as they walked away._

But in this world…

"A degree in English, huh? What do you plan to do with that?" Lauren had an amused smile to match her condescending nature. For the life of me, I could not figure out why Alice invited her, other than the fact that she was wasting perfectly good air.

I tried to hide my internal grimace as I wondered how to answer that question. "I don't know." That was the best I could do. I swallowed the lump of embarrassment down my throat as I excused myself. I couldn't escape the smug look on her face before I walked away, and my stomach turned to knots. I decided to lock myself in Alice's bathroom.

This was just embarrassing. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do, now that I had a degree and four years of college under my belt.

Could I bring myself to tell everyone that I had written a book I had poured my heart and soul into for the past two years, between working odd jobs at church nurseries and selling lawn care services door to door to pay off my college loans?

Could I bring myself to tell everyone that I have so far been rejected by six separate literary agencies, all of which have refused to put my book out, calling it a myriad of hurtful things…. "juvenile," "predictable," and "self-indulgent" among them?

No, I couldn't. So I stayed in the bathroom for two hours, until Alice forced me to open the door. She comforted me, like always, and assured me that I would show them all, once I start making millions with my books. I snorted. I wasn't having any luck so far.

Congratulations, Bella. You're now a college graduate, I thought to myself, as I was brought back to the reality of my kitchen.

I shoved the small piece of cake I still had in my hand into my mouth and licked the white and blue frosting off of my fingers as I used my other hand to sort through the mail that was strewn about the table, next to my cake. I hadn't had time to look at these yesterday.

"Bill…bill…bill…" I muttered under my breath. The last one I came across was a large manila envelope

I froze. Rejection letter number seven. Here it was.

My hands trembled as I said a silent prayer before opening the flap on the back of the envelope. I pulled the crisp white sheet of paper from the envelope slowly, and read the contents as soon as I could make sense of the words on the page.

My lips moved as I read on. My heart was beating fast as I tried to make my eyes scan over the most important part. Did they like it or not?

Finally, I saw it. I nodded as I set the envelope and paper down, back on the kitchen table. A single tear escaped down my cheek as I exhaled a long breath. Yup. Rejection letter number seven.

I pulled out the chair in front of me, and plopped down, burying my face in my hands. I jumped when I heard a loud knock at the door. I figured it was Alice, so I didn't bother to check my appearance, other than running my fingers to straighten the knots in my hair. I had yet to take a shower that day, so I was still in my pajamas, comprised of grey sweatpants and a yellow tank top.

Sure enough, I was greeted by a cheerful Alice. "Hey Bella!" She skipped past me into my living room and settled on the couch. "I was at the Forks Deli, and thought it would be fun to bring something over for lunch. We can have a picnic! You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

I shook my head as I lazily walked to the couch to sit next to Alice. "It smells good…" I noted as I observed the hot sandwiches Alice started pulling out of the large unmarked white paper bag.

"I know—I thought we cut could both sandwiches in half and share. Oh! I forgot the lemonade in the car!" She ran outside with her keys, leaving the door wide open. She almost bowled over the postman who was coming up the steps of my porch. "Sorry!" She called over, as she was already unlocking the front door of her car to get the drinks.

The postman chuckled to himself as he shook his head. He smiled at me, but I could barely match his expression when I saw that he placed another manila envelope into the mailbox. His smile faded and he suddenly looked weary. "Well, have a nice day…" He looked a little put off as he walked away from the small bungalow I rented, and gave a little wave to Alice as she made her way back with a drink carrier filled with two ice cold lemonades.

"Bella, do you want me to grab the mail since I'm already out here?" Alice called to me from outside.

I looked at her but couldn't bring myself to respond. She seemed to understand my expression and paused to pull out the contents from my mailbox before stepping inside. Closing the door behind her, she carefully set down the drinks on the coffee table and extended the hand that held the envelope. I gazed up from the envelope to Alice's expectant face with a frightened expression. She seemed to understand this too.

"Do you want me to open it?" She asked.

It took me a minute, but I finally nodded my head. She sat down next to me and rubbed circles on my back to comfort me. I couldn't watch after I saw her slide one finger under the flap to open this new manila envelope. I held my breath and turned away, the tears already threatening to rain down on my face.

It was silent.

"Bella…" Alice's voice came out in a whisper. I knew it. Rejection letter number eight. "They liked it."

I slowly turned my head to look into her smiling face. "What?"

"They liked it." She repeated, a little louder this time.

"How do you know?"

Alice laughed. "Well, I think it says it pretty clearly here. Bella! They liked your story! They want you to submit a full copy of your book and meet with an agent ASAP. They liked your story!" She jumped up and grabbed my hands.

Tears were indeed raining down my cheeks, but these were tears of joy this time. I couldn't believe it. I was going to be a published author!

**_Two Years Later, Present Day_**_:_

"Here's to Bella!" Alice raised her champagne glass in the air as I rolled my eyes.

I met Jasper's gaze as he smiled at me and raised his glass to mimic Alice's gesture.

"Shouldn't we be raising a toast to you two? This is your engagement party, after all." So typical. Here we were all gathered to celebrate Alice and Jasper's pre-nuptials and Alice wanted to turn the attention to me. I looked around the room, and noticed that it seemed as though Alice had invited every person she had ever encountered in her life. We had met in college, so I assumed that the other people our age I didn't recognize must have been from her childhood or something, because I thought I knew who all of Alice's friends and family were.

Alice shook her head defiantly. "Absolutely not! There's no law that says we can't support two wonderful occasions at once." She stood up and my face grew hot in fear as to what she was going to say next. "Attention everyone!" She smiled at the guests who were all gathered around small tables in the private section we reserved for this dinner. "First of all, I wanted to thank you all for coming to celebrate my engagement to the love of my life, Jasper." Soft applause filled the dimly lit room as people smiled with congratulations up at Alice and her fiancée. "We are so glad you could make it, and are so excited you could share this moment with us." She smiled and looked back at me. "Stand up," she mouthed.

I shook my head in horror.

"Stand up."

"No," I refused in a harsh whisper.

"I wanted to share some other piece of exciting news tonight," she began as she walked towards me. If I could have run to the door without the fear of her tackling me, I would have. "Most of you know Bella, my best friend from college, my soon to be maid of honor, and published author…"

Oh god. Kill me now. I managed to give a slight smile through my undoubtedly flushed face.

"Her most successful book being _Angel at Dusk_, which was published right after Bella graduated from college," she gave me an excited smile before she continued, completely ignoring the death glare I was giving her at the moment. "It looks like the book has garnered so much success that the rights have just been sold to the Twilight Entertainment Company to produce a big budget movie for national release!"

My face turned the deepest shade of red now, as I received a standing ovation from the small audience of guests at this dinner. Some of them I knew, some of them I didn't.

All of a sudden, I actually felt a wave of pride wash over me, as I recalled familiar faces who had attended my graduation party, especially the ones I remembered with the smug faces who watched me fumble through my answer when they asked what in the world I would accomplish with a degree in English Literature.

My lips started to turn into a small smile as I recognized Lauren in the far corner of the room. Her skin was caked on with fake tanning lotion, her bleached blonde hair looked as thin as ever, and I couldn't help but revel in the fact that she had gained thirty pounds since I saw her last, which was at my graduation party two years ago. Again, I had no idea why Alice invited her, but this time, I was glad to see her.

Almost instantaneously, I realized how easy it was to give her a big smug smile as her eyes narrowed slightly upon the realization that it was meant for her. I couldn't fight the force of Alice's hands as she made me stand up and take a courtesy bow with a nod of my head.

I was exhausted by the time I had finally come home. I turned on the lights and tossed my keys on the floor, kicking off my shoes in the process. I didn't bother to change out of my black cocktail dress as I settled myself down on the couch in front of the TV. I grabbed the small remote next to me to turn on the set, and got up again when I decided I wanted a glass of water.

I could hear the warbling of the entertainment news reporters recalling the top news of the day. For the most part, it was the typical story of young celebrities getting in trouble with the law or getting caught without underwear yet again.

The tile of the kitchen floor felt cold on my feet, but it was relaxing to feel after spending the night in high heels. I turned off the faucet when my glass was full of water, and slowly drank to the faint sounds of the TV in the next room.

All of a sudden, I heard the two words that caused me to drop my now half full glass of water to the floor.

"Edward Cullen…"

I didn't bother to pick up the broken pieces or clean up the water as I hopped over the mess I made and ran into the living room. There was his face, almost exactly as I remembered it. Only his jaw-line was more chiseled, his hair a darker shade of bronze, and his eyes a more penetrating shade of green. I almost collapsed right then at the sight of him on my medium-sized television screen.

He was the only reason I watched this channel, though I'd never admit it out loud. I watched it almost religiously to see if they had anything new to report on this up and coming actor, swiftly making his way to A-List status. My heart would pump out of my chest predictably at the mere mention of his name. Edward.

He was discovered by a talent scout when he was in college, signed by an agency after they caught his performance at one of the school play productions, something he apparently did as an extra-curricular activity as a Molecular Biology major, before he realized that his real passion was in acting.

And now, there he was. On the big screen and the small screen, and on the tip of everyone's tongue recently. My heart would sink every time he was linked to a new beautiful woman and would soar every time his reported status was "single."

Why I cared, I don't know. It's not like I was ever in his league. We were friends in high school, but I know he never thought of me as anything past that. Now especially, he was in a different universe altogether, millions of miles out of my reach.

I think I realized this early on. If I couldn't be with him in this world, at least my main character could get her own Edward in the world I made up, right? I laughed at the image that formed in my head of me writing Edward a thank you letter for being the inspiration of my best-selling book. My only hope was really that he would never find out.

I turned off the TV and headed off to bed, not before running down the stairs again and nearly falling when I realized I still had a broken glass of water on the floor of my kitchen waiting for me to clean up.

**AN: I hope you liked that! I'm really excited for the ideas I have for this story, so if you liked what you read, please review. Feedback is really the best inspiration :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine.

**AN: I'm so pleased with the early response I'm getting for this fanfic. This was a tough chapter to write, but hopefully you will all like it. Don't forget to review, because it really does inspire me to write more! **

CHAPTER 2

**BPOV**

**_Nine Years Ago_**

It was my first day of high school. I couldn't fight the butterflies in my stomach due to fears that I would go to the wrong classes, not know how to open my locker, or that I would embarrass myself in front of the upperclassmen by falling down the stairs in my new denim skirt.

I held onto my schedule for dear life, folded numerous times and crumpled in my hand, even though I had already memorized every class, every teacher, and every room number. I stopped by the girls bathroom on my way to my first class, and walked up to the hazy mirrors between two seniors, who were both a couple of inches taller with breasts much bigger than my non-existent ones. They looked at each other with shared understanding, not even trying to hide the smirk they gave in my direction.

"Nice headband." One of them smiled condescendingly at me as the other stifled a giggle.

I managed a half-smile in reply, knowing full well they were mocking me. I stood on my tiptoes to see my reflection, and pretended to fuss with my hair and examine my light makeup, while waiting patiently for them to leave. As soon as they were gone, I hastily ripped my headband off and stuffed it in the front pocket of my backpack. Running my fingers through my hair to comb it out, I realized that my hair was already a hopeless cause, and pulled my lavender headband back out to place it back on top of my head. I sighed.

Why did I let my mom take me back to school shopping? And more importantly, why didn't I realize what a little girl I looked like until just now? I tugged at my denim skirt in frustration. I looked down at my white socks and sneakers and mentally cursed myself for not wearing pants. My feet were soaked, due to the fact that I did not account for the drastic change in weather from Arizona to Oregon. Goulashes would have been a far better choice than the wet sock and tennis shoe look I was sporting at the moment.

The bell rang to signal that I had five minutes before school started and I walked briskly to my first class, which was Science. I slipped through the doorway of the classroom with a few minutes to spare. I noticed as I walked into the room, that the teacher had placed a transparency on the overhead projector, with an exact map of the classroom, and names on each square box that indicated our desks. On each box was a name scrawled in purple. I saw "B Swan" in purple letters encased in a black square, next to the rectangular box labeled "Counter," so I walked over towards the far wall to take my seat.

Studying the seating chart further, I also realized that I had a desk partner.

"E Cullen" was what the label read. Apparently, we were assigned seats randomly, rather than alphabetically.

The one-minute warning bell rang, and I noticed that most of the desks were filled by now. It seemed as though all of the students in my class seemed to recognize each other; I would hear names called out randomly by other students and stories exchanged excitedly as they all caught up on what happened to whom during the long summer. I knew I wouldn't recognize anyone myself, unless there was someone in my class who just transferred from Phoenix like I did.

I hoped in vain that at least a few students would be in the same boat as I was, considering we were all incoming freshman, but no one else seemed to share in my hesitation and bout of nerves about being a new high school student. I guess that's what you get in a small town like Forks.

I started to draw in my notebook, waiting for the bell to ring, so at least I would have an excuse to be ignored by my classmates. I propped my head up with one hand as I flipped my hair over to the side, and continued to doodle.

The final bell rang, and I wondered where "E Cullen" was. Usually kids would wait past the first day of school to start ditching, right?

Mr. Banner introduced himself to the class as he started to hand out notes to our first lecture. My eyes were already starting to glaze over in boredom. I took a packet from the boy in front of me, who seemed to do a double take when he noticed me for the first time. I found out later his name was Mike Newton. I wrote my name in pencil on the first page of the packet and commenced with my drawing, in my binder.

Ten minutes had passed before I heard the squeak of the chair next to me being pulled out slowly. I guess I had tuned out the lecture so well that I didn't hear anyone come through the door, nor did I hear Mr. Banner address the newcomer's tardiness…. Nor did I hear Mr. Banner point out the empty seat next to me for the newcomer to sit in.

I turned my head and saw a young teenage boy with bright green eyes smiling sheepishly at me as he sat down. He seemed shy, which gave me hope that maybe he was new to this town, like I was. I returned the smile and watched him scoot himself into the desk. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a plain blue binder, which matched mine, and flipped it open to a stack of fresh pages. He had a small build and was maybe even a couple inches shorter than I was. His bronze hair was cut short and looked as if it were combed in all directions. I thought he was adorable, in a very non-intimidating way.

I returned to my drawing, trying to make the time pass by, while Mr. Banner continued to drone on.

"What are you drawing?" a soft voice whispered.

I looked up and saw the boy looking at me expectantly with his green eyes searing into my soul.

I shrugged as I looked down. I hadn't really been paying attention, I just needed to give myself something to do, so I wouldn't fall asleep. "Just some flowers and stuff. I tried to draw a frog, but I don't think I have a very accurate memory of what they look like…" I frowned as I examined my creations. The several frogs I tried to create all had some sort of abnormality that made them look more like reptiles thrown into a vat of nuclear waste.

I pushed my notebook in his direction so that he could see, and he laughed, suppressing as much as he could, so Mr. Banner wouldn't catch him not paying attention. "Those are awesome….I like that one especially." He pointed. "It looks like some sort of horse snake…"

We snickered to ourselves as we made up names for my horrible replicas, and started to pass the paper back and forth, adding to the monstrous creations with fedoras and feather boas, among other things.

Before I realized it, the bell rang and class was over. Mr. Banner's droning voice was replaced by the sound of excited chatter once again, and the rustling of papers.

"You should bring that paper again tomorrow. There was more I wanted add to it." The bronze haired boy gave me a genuine smile that I couldn't help but return.

"Sure."

"What's your name, by the way? I'm Edward." He held out his hand for me to shake.

I switched my notebooks to my left arm so I could free my right hand. I grasped his hand to shake it, and was surprised that it seemed so strong for someone who looked as young as he did. "I'm Bella."

"Cool." Edward smiled. "Well, it was nice to meet you. I'll see you around, I'm sure."

I nodded.

I pushed in my chair and watched him leave the room as I checked my schedule to confirm what my next destination would be. One class down, seven to go. So far, it wasn't so bad. I had already made a friend. Who knew that crappy frog drawings could bring two people together?

**_Present Day: Thanksgiving_**

"Cranberry sauce….cranberry sauce….cranberry sauce…" I muttered under my breath, walking hurriedly down the nearly empty aisles of the local grocery store. "Please let there be cranberry sauce…"

Two days after Alice's engagement party, I had a plane booked for Seattle, so I could fly to my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner.

Unsurprisingly, I was on my way to my destination from the airport, in my rental car, on Thanksgiving day, when my mother called me. She was notorious for forgetting key food items until the last minute, and my dad's favorite "cranberry sauce out of the can" was no exception.

So here I was, in the middle of the deserted store-- wearing my tan trench coat over a black pencil skirt and white blouse, to avoid having to change once I got to the house-- looking for a can of cranberry sauce, just so my dad could hear that slurping sound he loved so much when it would all come out in one fantastic maroon cylindrical blob.

Most of the shelves were wiped clean, so I had my doubts that I would find what I was looking for. I ran my finger through all of the labels of canned food as I paced up and down each aisle in my black patent leather high heels. "Cranberry sauce….cranberry sauce…. Come on, where are you?..." I was losing more hope now.

I swung over and started in the next lane, not even paying attention now to the few patrons around me. They were most likely giving me dirty looks anyway, so why let them distract me?

"Cranberry sauce….cranberry sauce… cranber—Woohoo!!" I jumped in the air and almost slipped as I grabbed the dented can and pumped my other fist in the air. Luckily, I caught myself, and I was about do to my own private victory dance, when I heard my name escape from the velvet voice I would recognize anywhere.

"Bella?"

I froze. My shoes made a squeaking sound as I turned around, due to the soles of my high heels being wet from the rain outside. I faced the Adonis before me with a frozen expression I couldn't get rid of. He was wearing a beige sweater underneath a tan leather jacket that accentuated his lean torso and made him look more heavenly than I ever thought possible. His dark jeans made the contrast of his clothes against his light skin that much more apparent.

"Bella, is that really you?" His smile was decadent and there was humor in his eyes. I'm sure he was entertained by the mild spectacle I made of myself just a moment ago.

"Edward…hi." I forced my jaw to move, to let me speak just one word, so I wouldn't look so much like an idiot. "How are you?"

He ignored my question as he went in for a hug. I opened my arms awkwardly to accept him and almost died upon contact. He smelled so good and I reveled in his strong arms encasing me now. I wanted to bury my face in his neck, but stopped myself with what little self-control I had.

"It's so good to see you!" I heard him say.

He pulled away and I had to remind myself to breathe. It was impossibly hard to focus on anything when he was so close to me.

His smile was so warm and friendly; I could feel my body start to unfreeze. I was grateful that I could finally start acting more like myself, and not like a broken robot.

"Are you in town for Thanksgiving?" He asked.

I finally gave him a smile for the first time. "Yeah, just got into town today. I'm assuming you are, too?"

He nodded, the heart-melting smile never leaving his face.

There was an awkward silence as we stood there. My mind was searching for the next appropriate thing to say. "So…famous movie star, huh?" Um, smooth, Bella. A parrot could have done better than that.

Edward laughed as he gave me and embarrassed grin. "I guess…. If you want to call it that…."

"Well of course, you're all over the magazines, newspapers, television…" _in my dreams_… "I'd be surprised if there was a single human being on this planet who didn't know your name." _Or your beautiful face._

Edward shrugged. "You'd be surprised how that kind of stuff eludes you when you're working in Hollywood. I try not to pay much attention to it, although I have to admit it's hard when the press likes to jump to so many conclusions about my life that aren't true."

"Like what?" I prodded.

He rolled his eyes as he gave another embarrassed, sheepish smile. "Well, it's ridiculous really, all of the famous women they have me linked to all of the time. As if I had time for a relationship on top of all of the work I'm doing, you know?"

I nodded, trying to hide how disheartened I felt. No time for a relationship. Well, at least the rumors of him dating all of those celebrities aren't true.

"I guess it all comes with the territory though," he went on. I wondered if he wanted to say something else on the topic, but he shrugged instead. There was another awkward pause before he decided to speak again. "So…famous book author, huh?" He raised his eyebrows at me, knowing he was turning the tables on the embarrassment factor.

"Oh that…" I trailed off, looking for any implication in Edward's eyes whether or not he had actually read my book. To hell with it, I'll just ask him. "Have you read any of my books?" I asked, hopefully. Hopefully not, I added.

He looked at me guiltily. "I'm afraid I haven't."

"Oh good." I sighed in relief. He looked surprised at my reaction, so I corrected myself. "They're just embarrassing. Really girly," I tried to explain, without giving too much information as to how embarrassing it would be to have him read the book he inspired.

He laughed in a way that sent automatic shivers down my spine, a rich, velvet melody. "They can't be that embarrassing. They don't have pictures of half naked men in suede chaps and cowboy boots, seducing scantily clad pirate hookers on the cover, do they?" He teased.

"Of course not." I quickly defended myself, but I couldn't fight the blush that was forcing its way to my cheeks as I suddenly pictured Edward as a half naked cowboy on the cover of a romance novel. "They're not those kind of books," I insisted, smiling at the fact that some of our old rapport was still in tact.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to read them sometime to know for sure."

My eyes went slightly wide in panic. Hopefully I caught myself before he caught on to my expression. "Yeah… but I'd be surprised if you'd like them," I added, trying desperately to discourage him. Granted, only the first book I wrote and published was so blatantly inspired by Edward that he would notice, but the idea of him criticizing or potentially hating or ridiculing any of my books was downright terrifying to me.

Edward looked at me skeptically, the look of humor still present on his face. "I'm sure you're just being modest.

I shrugged. "So what are you doing in a grocery store on Thanksgiving? Shouldn't you be at home helping your mom peel potatoes or something?" I was more than desperate to change the subject at the moment.

Edward chuckled. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing? I came for a can of cranberry sauce, but I see that you beat me to it. I would fight you for it, but those heels look pretty lethal to me. They might give you an unfair advantage."

I covered the can with both hands protectively as I held it to my body. "I'm not afraid to use whatever advantage I have… You don't want to see the look on Charlie's face if I come home without this. He counts on the moment every year that he can take a can opener to his favorite brand of cranberry sauce, just so he can tip it over and shake it like a dead animal, until he hears that fffffflllllup as it plops onto the plate!" I giggled, and then turned red when I realized I must have sounded like a little kid just then.

Edward just smiled again. "That's my dad's favorite part, too." His eyes scanned the almost empty shelves. "Maybe he can get a similar effect out of a can of… string beans?"

I shrugged. "It's worth a shot. Hey, I'll tell you what. You let me walk away with this can of cranberry sauce today, and I'll send a gift basket come Christmas time with all of the cranberry sauce cans your dad could only dream of."

"Deal." Edward held out his hand, and I almost recoiled on instinct, in fear that I might get shocked by a bolt of electricity if I touched him again. I mentally prepared myself to extend my hand to meet his and hoped he wouldn't realize how much I was trembling.

Just then, the store manager announced they would be closing within the next ten minutes. Edward and I looked at each other then, and it was upon unspoken agreement that he would walk my way to the checkout. I started to walk sideways down the aisle, afraid that as soon I turned my head away from him, I'd realize it was all a dream.

"It was really nice to see you," Edward mused, repeating his statement from before. "You look great by the way."

I smiled at him shyly as we approached the checkout counter. "Thanks." _Would it be corny to say, "You look great, too"?_ I decided against it, to play it safe. "It's crazy that we ran into each other. I'm surprised you found the time to come back here for Thanksgiving."

Edward smiled, but this time, it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sometimes you have to fight for a little bit of normalcy in your life, especially when it gets so crazy."

I nodded in understanding, but troubled that I could see a part of Edward hurting in a way that I had never witnessed before. "Fame's really not all it's cracked up to be."

"Yeah, you would understand that, wouldn't you?" Edward looked at me with gratitude in his eyes over my empathy towards his situation.

"To an extent, I suppose. Fortunately, writers don't usually get recognized by paparazzi, whether they're grocery shopping or standing in the middle of Rodeo Drive in the nude," I admitted.

Edward chuckled. It warmed my heart that I could make him laugh. "True." He had no more reason to stay, but he looked like he wasn't quite ready to leave. At least, that was what I was hoping. I knew myself too well to trust my own deluded thoughts. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"Just through the weekend. My flight back to Arizona is on Sunday," I replied. "What about you?"

"I go back on Saturday." He looked thoughtful. "Do you have anything going on tomorrow?"

I fought to tame my internal teenager at the thought of where this was leading. "Uh, not really. Not that I know of, at least. Why?"

"We should hang out. If you have time. We could grab a cup of coffee or something." He looked at me expectantly, waiting for a response.

Truth be told, it was hard to formulate one; I was so flustered. "Uh…yeah. That would be cool. Sure." That was my pathetic attempt to appear nonchalant.

I watched him, dumbstruck, as he pulled out his cell phone. I took the opportunity to glance over at the cashier, whom I realized was now glaring at me, waiting this whole time to set my damn can of cranberry sauce on the conveyer belt. I gave the middle-aged woman an apologetic look as I started to inch her way, hopefully implying to her that I was almost done with my conversation with Edward Masen, the movie star.

"What's your phone number?" Edward's thumb was poised over the keypad of his cell phone. I told him, and waited as he punched in the letters of my name to save it to memory. "I'll give you a call tomorrow."

I watched him start to walk away. For a fleeting moment, I was almost inclined to reach out and pull him back. Instead, I opted for the saner route, once again. "Okay, sounds good." I managed another smile, as I finally set the can of cranberry sauce in front of the cashier, meeting another death glare from the woman who clearly did not want to be working on Thanksgiving Day.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" He called out, as he looked back at me with another patented smile over his shoulder. I watched him as he out the large automatic doors.

I waved. "Happy Thanksgiving to you too!" I couldn't take off the smile on my face as I happily paid the cashier and took my can of cranberry sauce with me out the store. "Happy Thanksgiving," I repeated to the cashier.

She only stared at me as I walked away, but I didn't care. I tightened the belt around my trench coat and faced the rain again. I was tempted to jump in the puddles on my way to my car, but luckily, I was coherent enough to think better of it.

On my drive home, I imagined the different scenarios of Edward and I sitting across from each other around a small table in a coffee shop. The nerves were fighting me as I tried to reason with them. _Why did I have to be so nervous around him? I didn't used to be this way…_. All of a sudden, 15-year old Bella seemed much braver than 24-year old Bella. _So pathetic._

Soon enough, in typical Bella style, my mind was running rampant with a new set of questions and insecurities_. Was this a date? He didn't say it was a date… maybe he just wants to catch up as old friends. Maybe he was just using me to maintain some normalcy in his life, like he was saying about having Thanksgiving at his parents' house. Maybe he was just trying to think of something to entertain him while he was in town, and he just asked me to hang out with him so he could alleviate his boredom. _

_Ahh…. Maybe you should stop being so neurotic and just enjoy the fact that Edward asked you to spend time with him. That's it. No explanation needed. _

I sighed as I finally pulled up to the house with the familiar police cruiser parked in the driveway. "Worry later," I told myself. "There's plenty of time to worry later."

I unbuckled my seat belt, and grabbed my precious can of cranberry sauce, along with my purse. I decided I would leave my bags for later, and closed the door to my car. Taking quick steps to avoid more rain, I burst through the front door.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" I called out, holding the can of cranberry sauce out for the world to see. Or my family, at least.

**AN: Reviews make me happy hint, hint. The next chapter will have the Thanksgiving Day encounter from Edward's point of view and will also include Edward and Bella's coffee date (or coffee non-date). Should be pretty interesting, eh? Why don't you tell me about it, in the form of a review ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Rub it in my face, why don't you.

**AN: Okay, I lied. I was a little gung ho writing the Thanksgiving Day meeting from Edward's POV, that I had thirteen pages typed by the time I got to Bella and Edward's coffee date/non-date. So, the coffee date/non-date will be posted in the next chapter... Don't hate me! Hopefully this will be enough to satisfy you for now... I think Edward's take on his meeting with Bella is interesting, so I'll be even more interested to see what you guys think :)**

**Anyway, I love you all for leaving reviews! Please don't stop! I'm addicted to them!! Review, review, review!**

CHAPTER 3

**EPOV**

"Edward! Get your butt up! Just because you're rich and famous, it doesn't mean you can sleep in until noon while the rest of us slave away in the kitchen!"

I groaned into my pillow as I heard the door to my room slam behind me. I normally wasn't one to sleep in, but my efforts to spend Thanksgiving with my family in the midst of my hectic schedule resulted in a last minute red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Seattle, with me getting into town and home promptly at 1 AM.

Of course, my mother, having not seen me in three months, insisted on staying up another two hours while I caught her up on nearly every miniscule detail of my new life. It mainly consisted of me convincing my mom that the various rumors circulating around me weren't true, negating the claims that I was dating whatever Hollywood flavor-of-the-month the press insisted on linking me to, much to my mother's satisfaction.

However, she couldn't help but slip in a remark that she hoped I would find a nice girl already. I rolled my eyes and smiled in habit, assuring her that I wouldn't settle for less than 'Esme perfection,' which always got a laugh out of my mom.

To be honest, talking to my mother about the pressures of Hollywood and non-existent romances made it all seem bearable for the first time. She always had a way of helping me to see the humor in every situation.

I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, willing myself out of bed. Grateful that my parents didn't turn my room into a study or another guestroom, I found myself retreating back to my adolescence as I gazed up at the posters of my former favorite bands and sports memorabilia sitting on the various shelves of my room. I unzipped my suitcase that was sitting by my bed on the floor and gathered everything I would need to get myself cleaned up.

Once I was showered and clean-shaven, I made my way downstairs where I could smell the warm Thanksgiving smells filling the air of the house. It was just what I needed.

"Thanks for the wake-up call, Emmett," I remarked sarcastically to my brother who had the arms of his collared-shirt rolled up to his elbows as he rolled thick pieces of dough to set on the baking sheet in front of him. "Hi mom," I said to my mother as I pulled her in for a hug when I entered the kitchen.

"Hey, you can't argue that we're not trying to keep you humble," Emmett joked good-naturedly as he pulled another piece of dough from the large bowl.

I popped a small marshmallow in my mouth before rolling my eyes with a smile. "That's definitely true." I pulled another marshmallow out of the bag and threw it at Emmett, hitting him square between the eyes.

"Ohh…." Emmett held up the round piece of dough in his hand and his eyes narrowed mishieviously.

I took the entire bag in one hand, with the other hand poised above the torn opening. "I'm not afraid to use these…"

"Boys!" Our mom interrupted us as a sticky glob pelted me in the forehead, but her efforts were futile as she burst out into laughter.

I dipped my hand in the bag of flour next to me and blew it into Emmett's face. He was chalk-white from the neck up, and this only fueled our mother's laughter further as Emmett retaliated by throwing a raw egg in my direction.

"Hey!" I shouted as the egg cracked on my shoulder. I turned just in time to see a dark red substance zero in on my nose. I was shocked to see that my own mother was the culprit, holding a wooden spoon and slowly shying away from Emmett and I as we shared a glance and approached my mother as the target.

On instinct, I tossed another handful of flour in her direction, just as Emmett poured the bowl of cranberry sauce on her head. The kitchen erupted into shrieks of laughter as food sprayed from all different directions in the air. My spirit was lifted ten stories high as I took the moment to enjoy the presence of the people who mattered to me the most. I missed this so much.

We only stopped when we heard a voice being cleared by the doorway.

"Ahem."

I froze and turned my attention to where my dad was standing at the entrance of the kitchen. He had a stern and stoic expression on his face, but I could tell that he was biting down hard to fight the smile threatening to come to the surface.

I looked over where my mom and Emmett were standing and the sight was beyond hilarious. White flour, dough, and cranberry sauce stained their faces and torsos like some sort of Pillsbury dough village massacre.

I looked down at my own appearance and grabbed a towel to wipe some of the flour that dusted my face. Unfortunately the towel I grabbed was already caked with bits of cranberry sauce, raw eggs, and flour.

That seemed to do it for my dad. His voice broke out into booming laughter that rivaled Emmett's. My eyes were clamped shut, now that I was afraid to open them with the new pieces of food stuck on my face. The last thing I wanted was a clump of wet flour in my eyes. I scrambled around, blindly feeling my way through the kitchen to find the sink.

"Hold it right there!" I heard my dad say, and footsteps fading out of the room. Before I realized my dad had left the room, I heard the same footsteps reappear and the click of the camera told me a very compromising photo was just taken.

Now they were just being mean.

"Colder….warmer….warmer….oh wait….colder…." I could hear Emmett's voice taunting me. I knew how ridiculous I must have looked, trying to find my way around the kitchen with my eyes closed and various food particles stuck to me, as my family just watched, trying unsuccessfully to hide their stifled laughter, clearly enjoying the spectacle I was making of myself.

"Damn it, Emmett! Can't you just tell me where to go? I feel like I'm playing Marco Polo in the kiddie pool all over again."

"But this way is so much more fun!" Emmett reasoned cheerfully. "Okay, warmer….. warmer….you're almost there…. Oh, well, now you just walked right past it. Man, Edward. You'd think living in this house for 10 years, you'd have an easier time finding the sink," he teased.

"Aw, come on!" I was getting really tired of not being able to see. "Mom!"

My mother's laughter became louder as I could hear her coming closer. "Alright, alright. Sorry, Edward. But you should see yourself, it really is the funniest thing I've ever seen." Her voice was still light with laughter as she gently guided me to the faucet.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I tried to appear annoyed, but it was hard to portray since I already had a pretty vivid picture in my mind of what I looked like, and even I had to admit it was pretty funny. I splashed some cold water on my face and was grateful to finally be able to open my eyes again.

I turned around and grinned at Emmett and my mother, still covered in their Thanksgiving food fight glory. Then, I saw my dad standing next to the island in the center of the kitchen now, and realized I was seeing him for the first time since my flight arrived. I also realized that he was wearing a long-sleeved button down shirt and khaki pants that were completely clean. "Dad!" I walked towards him with my arms spread wide and his eyes had a slight look of horror as he took in my appearance and the knowledge of what would happen to him if I hugged him right now.

"Dad! I haven't seen you in months, I want to give you a hug." I didn't even try to feign innocence as I walked towards him. We both knew exactly what I was doing.

"Edward, son, I love you, but please get away from me." My dad had a smile on his face, but the authority in his voice held no bearing as I continued to close in on him.

I looked back at my mother and Emmett and they seemed to have the same mischievous glances that I was sure matched the one that was already plastered on my face as they walked towards us.

"Group hug!" Emmett called, and the three of us trapped my dad from all sides and enclosed ourselves around him.

My dad groaned in defeat. We stepped back to observe the damage, laughing at the colorful red stains on his shirt.

"Well, I guess I was due for another shower anyway," he muttered. He looked up and surveyed the catastrophe we made of the kitchen now. His eyes narrowed as he zeroed in on the empty bowl of cranberry sauce.

"Don't worry, honey, there's more cranberry sauce in the fridge," comforted my mother. "And we'll clean up the mess—"

"It's homemade."

I watched my mom furrow her brow. "Yes, I thought I'd try a new recipe. I found it in a magazine—"

"But it's homemade."

"Carlisle, what are you getting at?" My mother looked confused as she looked up at my dad who was now standing incredulously at the fridge, with the bowl of wrapped cranberry sauce in his hands.

I looked at Emmett and we both hid our smiles. We knew what this was leading to.

"Did you not get the kind that comes out of the can?"

My mom rolled her eyes as she finally came to understand. "No, I thought I'd actually serve cranberry sauce made with real cranberries this year."

My dad was trying to hide his disappointment, but if I didn't know any better, I would have sworn there were tears forming in his eyes. "But it's not the same," he muttered under his breath. I tried not to laugh at the fact that my father sounded more like a wounded puppy than a man who spent most of his days treating dying patients and saving lives.

"Dad, do you want me to run to the store and get you a can of cranberry sauce?" I offered.

"Are the stores even open today?" My dad looked hopeful, and I had to bit my lip to keep another laugh from escaping. Emmett had apparently already given up and I could see him silently convulsing beside me.

"Edward, that's ridiculous. Carlisle, don't make him drive ten minutes out of the way just to get you cranberry sauce, when I made a perfectly good batch right here." She gave my father a stern look and Emmett and I watched as they had a silent conversation with their eyes for a good solid minute before my mom finally heaved a sigh in defeat. "Fine. Edward, grab a twenty from my purse."

My dad gave me a grateful look that was also apologetic. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

I gave him a pat on the shoulder to reassure him. "Any excuse to drive your Mercedes, eh?" I winked at him.

He chuckled as he fished in his pocket for his keys. "Alright, well now we're even."

"Deal." I smiled as I took the keys from him. "Let me just take a shower before I go, otherwise I'll end up getting a nice paste covering on your leather seats," I joked, ascending up the stairs to take my second shower of the day.

"Don't take all the hot water! I'm next!" Emmett's voice carried up the stairs from where he was helping our mom clean up the mess we made in the kitchen.

When I was finally clean again, I breathed a sigh of contentment as I slid into the driver's side of my dad's car. Pulling my iPod out of my pocket, I plugged it into the stereo and blasted the speakers as I pulled out of our driveway and onto the street. The drive really wasn't bad… the pouring rain made the ride that much more comfortable, the soothing sounds of the light tapping on my windshield served as the perfect backdrop to the music I was listening to on my way to the store. Just as I pulled into a parking spot, I felt my phone vibrate. Pulling on the parking brake and turning off the car, I simultaneously reached into my pocket again to reach for my phone. Seeing who was on the other end, I let out a groan.

"How's it going, Jessica?"

"Edward! I'm so glad you answered your phone! Well, I just called to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving…"

"Oh thanks. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. Is that all you called to tell me?"

"Well I also called to touch base with you on a few things."

_Of course_. "Okay…" I prodded.

"Don't worry, it's all good news."

"Define good, Jessica."

"_Time_ magazine wants to do a spread about you."

"Any particular reason?"

"No reason other than the fact that it'll sell them tons of magazines. Also, your agent called me, and apparently there are a few big projects being offered in your direction that we want to play up to the public."

"You mean parts that I haven't agreed to yet?"

"Yes."

"You want to tell people I may or may not be offered parts that I may or may not be interested in?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Publicity."

"Well when you put it that way…" I couldn't help but lay out the sarcasm. "Can I at least see what these potential projects are before we make a mass announcement to the public about what I may or may not be in?"

"Yes…and that brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"When's your flight back to LA scheduled for?"

"Saturday." I gritted my teeth. "Why?"

"You think you can make that earlier?"

"How much earlier?"

"Like, say, we book you a flight to come back tonight for a meeting at 7 AM tomorrow morning?"

"No, Jessica. Absolutely not. Come on, you have to give me at least this weekend. I need this weekend for my sanity. I need one weekend away from cameras in my face, from crazed fans, from scandals in tabloids, and quite frankly, I need one weekend away from directors, agents, and even my publicist, as lovely as she may be." I was laying it on thick, but I was desperate to stay home.

I waited patiently on the phone, hearing Jessica's soft murmurs as she talked to someone on her end. A couple of minutes had passed before she was finally talking to me again.

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine, Edward. We'll figure it out. You call me as soon as you get in on Saturday, and we'll reschedule the meeting with your agent."

"God Bless you, Jessica. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Sure thing. Have a good Thanksgiving."

"Yes, you too. Bye!" I hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. Crisis averted, but the slight headache it caused was frustrating to deal with. Why did it always have to be a hassle just to get one holiday to myself? I leaned back in the seat to gather my thoughts before I walked into the rain, frustrated that my good mood was slightly deflated already.

Just then, I saw a blurred figure run out in front of my car that caught my attention. Slender legs protruded out of a tan trench coat, and brown hair cascaded down the woman's shoulders, reminding me of someone… Could it be?

Curiosity gave me the momentum I needed to face the rain as I opened the door to my dad's car and trotted my way inside the store.

I found her quickly, but was reluctant to approach her or call out her name just yet. She was pacing up and down the aisles so fast that I could hardly keep up with her. It was funny; I was convinced that she looked so much like the person I thought she was, but at the same time, she seemed so different, that I was then convinced it must be someone else. I didn't want to embarrass myself by yelling her name in the middle of the store only to find out that I was wrong. So, I kept following her. I almost laughed as I watched her scurry in her high heels, and noticed how they accentuated her calf muscles underneath her trench coat.

Finally, she slowed down and I could hear that she was chanting something under her breath.

"Woohoo!" She jumped up and paused long enough for me to finally close the distance between us. It caught me off-guard and I was tempted to laugh out loud, just as I saw that she had lost her footing and almost slipped on the wet floor. Luckily, she caught herself and she turned my way slightly, just enough for me to confirm my suspicions.

"Bella?" I asked tentatively. The woman turned abruptly to face me now, and I couldn't help the grin that formed on my face as I realized it was really her. "Bella, is that really you?"

"Edward…hi." Her voice brought back a flood of memories all at once. I was so happy to see someone from my past, someone who knew me before my life turned upside down. It was a natural reaction to hug her, and the familiarity of the smell of her damp hair brought me a new warmth and comfort.

I know she asked me how I was, but I didn't know how to answer that question honestly without spurring a new set of questions that I wasn't ready to answer. I decided to answer it in my own way. "It's so good to see you!"

I pulled away and took a good look at her for the first time. Her face had thinned out a little from losing the traces of baby fat since the last time I saw her, which must have been right around high school graduation. Her cheekbones were more pronounced, her lips were slightly fuller, and her brown eyes even seemed noticeably wider. She was always pretty, but standing before me now, I realized that Bella had become quite a beautiful woman since the end of high school.

"Are you in town for Thanksgiving?" I asked.

She smiled at me, and I noted a slight flutter in my heart when she did so. It confused me a little. "Yeah, just got into town today. I'm assuming you are, too?"

I just nodded. I was distracted by my own reaction to Bella's smile when I heard her ask me a question.

"So…famous movie star, huh?"

I tried not to appear as embarrassed as I felt. "I guess… if you want to call it that…"

"Well of course, you're all over the magazines, newspapers, television…I'd be surprised if there was a single human being on this planet who didn't know your name."

All of a sudden, another wave of embarrassment washed over me as I wondered what Bella thought about my completely fabricated Hollywood reputation. "You'd be surprised how that kind of stuff eludes you when you're working in Hollywood. I try not to pay much attention to it, although I have to admit it's hard when the press likes to jump to so many conclusions about my life that aren't true."

"Like what?" she asked.

It was embarrassing to talk about, but I was glad that I could at least set the record straight. "Well, it's ridiculous really, all of the famous women they have me linked to all of the time. As if I had time for a relationship on top of all of the work I'm doing, you know?"

I waited for her to nod in response.

"I guess it all comes with the territory though." I wish that I could have gone on about my frustrations with my life, lacking in privacy, and the trouble I have in finding people I can trust in Hollywood, but I didn't want to turn our light conversation into a pity party for me. So, I just shrugged. I searched for something else to say, when I remembered who it was I was talking to. "So…famous book author, huh?" I raised my eyebrows at her, deciding to give her a little taste of her own medicine. If she was still the Bella I knew from high school, I knew she could at least handle it in small doses.

"Oh that…" She looked embarrassed, which I found endearing. It was good to see that fame and fortune hadn't gone to her head. "Have you read any of my books?"

I was a little embarrassed. "I'm afraid I haven't." I had been too busy to read anything besides movie scripts recently. Guilt filtered through my conscience as I recalled the many times I thought to myself how I really should go and read one of her books. It would give me a good reason to get in touch with her, to tell her how much I enjoyed it, but it was a thought that often slipped my mind before I could act on it. Bella's voice interrupted my thoughts before I could really dwell on it any further.

"Oh good."

I was surprised that she seemed so relieved_. Did she not want me to read it? Why wouldn't she want me to read it?_

"They're just embarrassing. Really girly," she explained to me.

Oh. I laughed at the image that flashed in my mind, and couldn't help but tease Bella about what kind of books would cause her to not want me to read her books. "They can't be that embarrassing. They don't have pictures of half naked men in suede chaps and cowboy boots, seducing scantily clad pirate hookers on the cover, do they?"

"Of course not." She quickly retorted, but I saw a faint blush on her cheeks that made me wonder if I had actually hit the nail on the head. I found it amusing, though. I never pictured Bella to be the type to write steamy romance novels, but I guess there was a lot I didn't really know about her in high school. The idea that she might be the type surprised be, and simultaneously intrigued me. "They're not those kind of books," she insisted.

I smiled. "Well, I guess I'll just have to read them sometime to know for sure."

"Yeah… but I'd be surprised if you'd like them," I added.

Or maybe she really was just that humble? Even more endearing. I was looking at Bella now, a woman with more accomplishments under her belt than most of the people I knew, looking like a million bucks in the middle of this small-town grocery store, and through her eyes, I saw the shy girl I sat next to in my 9th grade science class. She was always a mystery to me when I knew her back then, and she was even more of an enigma now standing before me.

_Hmm…maybe if I actually read one of her books, they'd give me some insight into the secret world of Bella Swan_, I thought to myself. The idea gave me an extra incentive to make sure I bought one of her books the next time I was at the bookstore. I couldn't help but find it funny that Bella, at the top of all of the best-seller lists, would be worried that I wouldn't like her writing. "I'm sure you're just being modest.

She shrugged and I almost laughed at her desperation to changed the subject. "So what are you doing in a grocery store on Thanksgiving? Shouldn't you be at home helping your mom peel potatoes or something?"

I chuckled as I recalled the image of her running up and down the aisles of the store. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing? I came for a can of cranberry sauce, but I see that you beat me to it. I would fight you for it, but those heels look pretty lethal to me. They might give you an unfair advantage."

She covered the can with both hands protectively, holding it to her body. "I'm not afraid to use whatever advantage I have… You don't want to see the look on Charlie's face if I come home without this. He counts on the moment every year that he can take a can opener to his favorite brand of cranberry sauce, just so he can tip it over and shake it like a dead animal, until he hears that fffffflllllup as it plops onto the plate!" She giggled, pulling me back to high school memories again.

I was a little more than mesmerized by her laugh. Adding that to the fact that both our fathers had an obsession with generic cranberry gelatin, I smiled. "That's my dad's favorite part, too." My eyes scanned the almost empty shelves. "Maybe he can get a similar effect out of a can of… string beans?"

"It's worth a shot. Hey, I'll tell you what. You let me walk away with this can of cranberry sauce today, and I'll send a gift basket come Christmas time with all of the cranberry sauce cans your dad could only dream of."

I had to suppress the laughter this time, as I envisioned the look of despair on my dad's face when I broke the bad news to him that he wouldn't get his favorite Thanksgiving treat this year. It was replaced by an even more hilarious vision of my dad's face breaking out into utter elation when he saw Bella's Christmas basket filled with enough generic jelly to last a lifetime. "Deal."

I assumed it would give me another reason to see Bella again anyway. Being around her gave me a sense of comfort I couldn't quite describe, nor could I find it anywhere else. I held out my hand and noticed that hers was shaking slightly as it tenderly touched mine. I enclosed my hand around hers and felt the softness of her skin, sending a slight jolt of electricity through me. As I let go, I expanded my fingers to release some of the heat where it was concentrated.

Just then, the store manager announced they would be closing within the next ten minutes. I looked at Bella, and instinctively started walking with her to the checkout counter.

"It was really nice to see you." I couldn't help but say it again. "You look great by the way." I couldn't help but say that, either.

She smiled at me shyly as we approached the counter. "Thanks. It's crazy that we ran into each other. I'm surprised you found the time to come back here for Thanksgiving."

I tried to smile as reality flooded back into my eyes, upon her statement. "Sometimes you have to fight for a little bit of normalcy in your life, especially when it gets so crazy."

"Fame's really not all it's cracked up to be." Bella looked up at me and her eyes were filled with sympathy. I appreciated it.

"Yeah, you would understand that, wouldn't you?" It was so nice to share this with someone who could actually empathize with my situation. It meant even more that Bella could be that person.

"To an extent, I suppose. Fortunately, writers don't usually get recognized by paparazzi, whether they're grocery shopping or standing in the middle of Rodeo Drive in the nude."

I chuckled at Bella's honesty. I forgot how genuinely funny she could be. "True."

We were at a crossroads now. It was the appropriate time for me to leave, but the force that brought me here wouldn't let me pull away. I was overcome with emotions I couldn't quite understand. I had to confess that I hadn't thought about her that often during the time we had spent apart since our senior year of high school, but all of a sudden, I found myself wondering how I could possibly go another day without seeing her again. I had to see more of her. At least one more time before I went back to LA.

"How long are you going to be in town?"

"Just through the weekend. My flight back to Arizona is on Sunday. What about you?"

"I go back on Saturday." I was slightly conflicted. I didn't want her to think I was asking her on a date. I didn't want to hurt her by leading her on. I just wanted to see her again, and justified it in my head that we were friends, after all. "Do you have anything going on tomorrow?"

"Uh, not really. Not that I know of, at least. Why?"

Perfect. "We should hang out. If you have time. We could grab a cup of coffee or something," I suggested.

When she agreed, I put her phone number into my cell and told her I would call her the next day to go over details. I couldn't explain why, but I felt buoyant, like I was walking on air. I looked over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of her one last time before I faced the rain, and was incapable of erasing the large grin on my face. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

She smiled back and waved at me from the checkout counter. "Happy Thanksgiving to you too!"

I drove with lightning speed back to my house and readied myself for my dad's reaction when I told him they were out of canned cranberry sauce. His reaction was just as expected, and I felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Of course, I couldn't help but join in the laughter from Emmett and my mom when we each took one glance at my dad's forlorn expression.

"So, if you didn't get the can of cranberry sauce, what took you so long to get back?" My brother wondered aloud, as we were putting the finishing touches on the table setting.

"I ran into Bella Swan."

"Who's that?"

"A friend from high school. You remember her, don't you, mom? She came over a couple of times to work on school projects with me. She was one of my good friends."

My mom smiled upon recollection. "Oh, Bella! She was so sweet and quiet. What is she up to now? Isn't she a best-selling writer or something along those lines?"

"Yeah. Crazy, isn't it? I always see her books on the top of all of the best-seller lists when I read the paper."

"Well, that's great she's so successful. Did you do a lot of catching up?" My mom inquired.

"Not really," I admitted. "But, we're going out for coffee tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll have lots of 'catching up' time then."

My mother had a strange look in her eyes as she reflected on what I just said. "Really? A coffee date?"

I shrugged. "Not really a date. You know, it's just two old friends getting together over a cup of coffee. Mom, I don't have time to date, you know that better than anyone."

"Edward, I really wish you would give yourself more credit." My mom had a look of concern in her eyes now. "Stop making excuses just so you can avoid getting your heart broken."

"I know mom, I'm not making excuses," I tried to earnestly convince her, but I couldn't deny the inkling of truth my mother held in the words she spoke. "But things are so crazy right now. I have enough trouble settling the affairs of my own life straight, let along bringing someone else into it. Bella's a friend. It was good to see her. I just want to catch up on old times, spend time with someone who knew me before the fame and fortune. And what's better is that she can relate too, with the fame and fortune part."

I finally saw a smile on my mother's face as she looked at me with satisfaction. "Why don't you bring her over tomorrow? It'll be good to see her after all these years," she suggested.

"Maybe I will," I agreed.

I sat down with the rest of my family as we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, sans the can of cranberry sauce. I suppressed the odd feeling boiling in my stomach as my thoughts flash-forwarded to me seeing Bella again the next day, her phone number and name burning a hole in my cell phone that rested in my pants pocket. _It's not a date_, I reminded myself.

Because if it was a date, I didn't want to look into Bella's eyes when I'd ultimately break her heart. And she didn't deserve that.

Or worse for me, when she'd ultimately break mine.

**AN: Okay, next chapter I PROMISE will be the coffee date/ non-date. Please review and tell me what you think!!**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it was, it's not mine. Well, it's partially mine. But you know, everything Twilight related, is not. Everything else is, though.

**AN: Whew! Don't even get me started! lol I know it's been forever. It's not my intention to update once a month, but it just turns out that way, unfortunately. I have to say, I FOUGHT to get this chapter done tonight. I'm so tired...but I wouldn't let myself go to sleep until I finished this chapter. Not that I expect a pat on the back or anything... I know it's been a while. I'm bad. Bad fanfic writer! **

**The biggest reason why this chapter took so long was because I had four or five different options as to what I wanted to do with this chapter and couldn't decide. Just know that's how seriously I take my writing. Maybe it was totally lame for me to admit that lol.**

**Thanks for all of the awesome reviews! I love you all for loving my stories and for loving me. For those of you who have yet to read my other fic, Volterra Rocks...um do it. hehe. **

**This chapter is dedicated to ahhelga for her awesomeness and for being my first fanfic fangirl! Haha. **

**I know some of you are annoyed by how long this AN is turning into, but I feel like a zombie from this lack of sleep, so at least let me have this paragraph of glory! **

**P.S. For those of you who aren't aware of what a Seven Eleven is (7-11), it's a convenience store, known for it's slurpees. Or, if you're familiar with the Simpsons, think "Kwik-E-Mart" and "Squishies."**

**Okay, I'll stop rambling now. Read and REVIEW!!**

CHAPTER 4

**BPOV**

I had to cover my mouth to keep myself from screaming in surprise and waking up my parents when I heard the familiar ring tone and Edward's name appear on the screen of my cell phone the next morning.

I held the phone in front of me, making sure to take a few deep breaths before I answered. Pressing the green button on the top right corner of the keypad, I pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello!" I immediately cringed at the over-enthusiastic timbre in my voice.

I heard him chuckling softly on the other end. "Someone's a morning person."

I meekly tried to match his teasing tone. "Yeah, well…" I had nothing except a nervous laugh to follow the trailing statement.

This only seemed to amuse him further, much to my own embarrassment, as I heard him begin to laugh softly again. Luckily, he didn't dwell on my flustered state. "Did your dad enjoy the cranberry sauce?" I could hear the smile in his voice, and I only wished I could have seen it in person.

"Yes, he did." I smiled. "In fact, I told him about our encounter, and I he wanted me to thank you for your generosity."

There was that beautiful laugh again. "Well, you beat me to it fair and square, what can I say?"

There was a small pause before he spoke again.

"So, are you still up for that coffee today, or did you find something better or more important to do than hang out with a loser like me?" He joked.

I couldn't help but burst out into laughter at the thought. Like I had something better to do than spend time with the man of my dreams. "And miss my chance to spend time with _the_ Edward Cullen?" I heard him chuckle on the other end. "I'm still game…. Unless you found something better or more important to do than hang out with me." I bit my lip nervously, immediately resenting the open window I gave Edward to escape our time together.

"Like I have something more important to do than spend time with _the_ Bella Swan?"

I rolled my eyes, but slowly breathed a sigh of relief. He still wanted to see me.

**Nine Years Ago- Second Day of School**

"Hello….Bella?" Edward gave me a wide smile as he sat down next to me at our table. Unlike the day before, Edward had managed to make it to class before it started.

I returned the smile generously, before I pulled out the materials I needed for another day of note-taking. "Yeah, Edward, right?"

"Right."

It was a bit of a relief to have someone to talk to this time, during the few spare minutes we had before the bell rang, so I didn't feel quite so left out of the myriad of conversations going on between students around me. Edward asked if I had brought the piece of paper that had all of the drawings we made the previous day and I nodded as I pushed myself from the desk to get the paper out of my backpack. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Edward's legs swinging beneath him, under his chair, his feet not quite able to set themselves flat on the floor.

As I brought my torso back up and placed the sheet of paper in front of me, Edward hoisted one leg up and under him on top of the chair, as he used the leverage to lean in closer, with his elbows propped up on the table. A slight breeze blew from his movement, and I breathed in the smell of fresh laundry. It was pleasant.

He laughed as he observed the drawings. "Oh yeah, I remember what I wanted to do to this one…" he motioned towards one of the "frog" figures with his pencil and proceeded to draw a top hat and a laser gun to further accessorize our creations. I smiled as I watched his pencil glide onto the paper and looked up to see his eyes were already resting on mine. He smiled before looking away, asking me how the rest of my first day of school went, while proceeding with his drawings.

"It was okay."

"Just okay?" Edward prodded.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I guess it wasn't any worse or better than I expected, you know? No one stuffed me in a locker and I was only a couple minutes late to one of my classes. It could have been a lot worse. With my luck, I would have tripped down the stairs in my new skirt. To be honest, I'm really surprised it didn't happen," I remarked, dryly.

Edward laughed.

"What about you?" I asked. "How was your first day?"

Edward shrugged as he turned his head to give me a response. "It could have been worse." He turned his attention back to the paper, a small smile playing on his lips. Before I could ask him to elaborate, he spoke again. "We aren't in any other classes together."

It wasn't a question, so I didn't know how to respond. "Yeah…"

"What grade are you in?"

"Uhhh….9th." I was confused. Wasn't he a freshman, too? "Why?"

"I don't know…you seem older, I guess. I thought maybe that was why we didn't have any classes together. Most of the other kids in here are in my other classes too." He shrugged his shoulders, propping his head up by one arm, while using the other arm to continue drawing.

"Oh…that makes sense." Then I thought of something. "So you thought I flunked 9th grade science or something?" The idea was a little humorous to me, especially considering the fact that science was actually one of my strongest subjects.

"No, that's not what I meant." Edward sat up straight as he looked at me with apologetic eyes. "I just—"

I rolled my eyes, putting up one hand to stop him. "It's cool. I wasn't offended or anything." I giggled.

He sighed in relief and gave me a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

I shook my head to dismiss his apology. I looked at the clock and saw that we had at least a minute to go before the bell and our teacher was nowhere in sight. I decided to seize the opportunity to ask him the question I didn't get a chance to the day before. "How long have you lived in Forks?"

"I just moved here. You?"

"I just moved here, too."

Edward's eyes grew wide and he smiled upon this new discovery. "Oh cool! I didn't know you were a new student! Man, I feel like everyone here knows everyone else but me. Where did you move from?"

"Pheonix."

"Oh, so you just basically moved from Venus straight to Mars, didn't you?"

I laughed at his analogy. "Exactly. Where did _you_ move from?"

"Alaska. Not quite a drastic difference, but still an adjustment." He set his pencil down and leaned back in his chair. "So—"

"Bella!" A foreign voice shouted out my name and I grimaced as I observed the entire classroom averting their attention to me. I looked up and saw Mike Newton close the distance from the door to the table in front of mine in quick strides as the final bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.

I met Mike the day before in my history class. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he had taken the entire period to work up the nerve to talk to me, as I observed him constantly shifting his body to face me in the desk next to mine. I was tempted to start keeping track of how many times I saw him open his mouth out of the corner of my eye, only to see him close it and face the board out of my peripheral vision. Finally, as we all got up at the end of the class, he was a mere two inches from my face when I stood up, with his arm extended and a big smile plastered on his face, introducing himself. Truth be told, he was definitely nice, but his obvious affection came off too strongly in a way that made me feel a little uncomfortable.

I waved my fingers at him and mustered a smile. I didn't even notice at first how quiet Edward had become as Mike stepped closer. He plopped his backpack down on his table with a bang, giving his lab partner quite a fright, making her jump slightly out of her chair. He ignored the glare she gave him and gave me another small wave as he sat down in front of me.

"Hey, Mr. Banner's not here yet," Mike observed, swinging his chair out so that he could face me from where he was sitting. "Sweet. Hey, ever heard of the five minute rule?"

I shook my head, not knowing what he was getting at. I looked at Edward, who suddenly seemed consumed by the paper full of our drawings again, his head practically buried in the desk as he scribbled feverishly away.

"Well, the five minute rule is if the teacher is still not here five minutes past the bell, then the whole class can ditch and we won't get in trouble for it."

"Really?" I looked at him skeptically.

"That's what one of the seniors told me, anyway. We've got three and a half minutes and we're out of here. You want to go down the street to the Seven Eleven or something? And get a slurpee? My treat."

"Yeah, that sounds romantic." The sarcastic statement slipped out of my mouth before I had a chance to realize I already said it. I could have sworn I heard a snort come from Edward, but when I looked over at him, he was still drawing away as though nothing had happened. When my gaze shifted back at Mike, I couldn't help but feel guilty over his face that was now slightly crestfallen. "Sorry, I was just joking." I couldn't think of a better excuse, and I cursed myself for it. "But, I don't think I'll ditch even if Mr. Banner doesn't come back. I don't want to risk getting in trouble, just in case the whole five-minute rule thing isn't legit. It's not because I don't want to go get a slurpee with you," I assured him.

That seemed to appease him and the smile returned to his face. "What about after school then? Do you have anything going on after school?"

I was suddenly very aware of everything around me at that moment. Edward's pencil stilled, and it seemed as though the entire class was listening for my response now. I couldn't have been more mortified. Was he seriously asking me out on a date? I had barely even gotten through a full conversation with him, and on the second day of school, he was asking me out? To a Seven Eleven nonetheless. I had never been on a date before, never anything remotely close. My palms were sweating. "Umm… well, my parents are picking me up today and I think we're going to go look at some furniture for my room, but maybe another—"

"What about tomorrow?" Mike interrupted, eagerly.

"Tomorrow?" I searched my brain for an excuse. Any excuse. I had a feeling that no matter what I said, he would keep pressing until he found a day I was available. I decided to leave it open ended. "Maybe. I'll have to ask my parents."

Mike nodded. He seemed satisfied. He looked at the clock again and just as I knew he was about to say we only had one minute left in the five-minute rule, Mr. Banner stormed into the room, much to the dismay of the class.

"Sorry, the copier broke this morning… I'm running late, obviously. Open your notebooks. I've got some more handouts to give you. Don't forget, tomorrow is our first lab…" The room settled into a routine of monotony pretty easily as if we had been doing this for years.

I picked up my pencil and started to copy my notes from the overhead projector. It took a few minutes to realize that Edward still had not spoken to me since class had started, or since my interaction with Mike. When I looked over, his eyes were trained on the front of the room. Either it was just my imagination, or he was refusing to look at me. I didn't understand. I was too shy to ask him what was wrong… I wasn't sure if I knew him well enough yet to know if that was okay. Maybe he was just focused on taking notes, and I didn't want to bother him if that was the case.

The period dragged on, and I was wrought with an unsettled feeling. Unsure if it was due to my impending unwanted date with Mike, or if it was a result of the cold shoulder I was experiencing from Edward, but I couldn't help but be distracted by the pestering feeling up until the bell rang. I woke from my slight daze and started to gather my things. I could already see Mike turning around to face me, and my stomach flipped unpleasant butterflies as I readied myself for whatever he would say to me.

At the same moment I saw Mike open his mouth, I felt a light touch on my arm and turned my attention to bright green eyes staring intently at me. "What class do you have next?" Edward asked.

"Algebra." I groaned at the thought.

"On the second floor?"

I nodded, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

"I'll walk you." Edward stated with a smile.

"Okay." I was glad that whatever funk he seemed to be in was over and done with and the unsettling feeling went away as though it never existed. I was almost afraid that I already lost the only friend I had made at Forks High School.

**Present Day**

Edward held the door open for me as we entered the coffee shop. Always the gentleman. No surprise there. He would do that for anyone. That didn't mean anything. Non-date.

He didn't pick me up from my house. We met at the shop. So… non-date.

He paid for my drink. Date? Or friendly gesture. Non-date.

_Stop it, Bella, just stop it. _

I let out a small "thank you" as Edward handed me my mug. We scanned the crowded room and agreed on a small table surrounded by two arm chairs. The area was tucked away in a corner that was set off from the rest of the shop. We got there just as a couple of teenage girls got up from the table, and we managed to snag it before anyone else could.

"This looks good," Edward noted as he shrugged himself out of his leather jacket.

_Yes, it looks very good._ I couldn't help but stare at his perfect features as they were so well displayed before me, his thin white sweater outlining every perfect line of his torso. I caught several whiffs of the leather smell from his jacket, mixed with the intoxicating smell of his cologne. He still wore the same cologne he did in high school. My heart panged against my ribcage in protest against the rest of my body that was still trying to unsuccessfully forget what an effect he had over me.

Trying to distract myself, I focused on unbuttoning my long trench coat. Stuffing my gloves inside my pockets, and un-raveling the scarf from around my neck, I somehow managed to knock over the small table that stood as a platform for both of our drinks. "Shit! I did not just do that!"

Edward's laughter rang in my ears, and my face turned beet red in embarrassment as I scrambled to the nearest table with napkins and pulled out a pile that was two inches thick. I spread them out on the floor, stomping on the wet napkins with my black leather boots. The mugs were shattered to pieces and I bent down to pick the pieces up in my hand, not caring when my knees touched the wet floor, soaking my jeans in those spots.

"Hey! You're going to hurt yourself," Edward's hand gently brought me back up by my arm.

"What else is new," I replied. I glared at the expression on Edward's face, which was laced with utter amusement at the situation. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

Edward shrugged. "It's amazing how even in designer jeans and your name on best-seller lists, you're still the same old Bella Swan."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"Isn't it, though?" Edward looked at me, confused.

I shrugged. I didn't want to elaborate on my disappointment. Edward wasn't in love with the old Bella Swan. If he still thought of me as the old Bella Swan…well, this was definitely a non-date.

I walked over to the trash can and dumped the broken pieces of ceramic inside. I told the barista about the little incident and she brought a mop over to clean up the mess I made. I ordered two more drinks to replace the ones I destroyed and started to walk over with the new drinks.

I almost had a heart attack when I turned the corner. "Woah!" I lifted the drinks in the air to avoid the collision with the person I almost ran into. I saw that it was Edward.

"Aww…you beat me to it." Edward nodded, referring to the drinks in my hands.

"Are you kidding me? I'm the one who spilled your drink. The least I could do is replace it for you."

"Well, if you insist." Edward smiled. "And the least _I_ can do is take those out of your hands, if for no other reason than to avoid another accident."

I was about to open my mouth in protest, but nodded my head in agreement instead. "Yeah, you're probably right. I need to go to the bathroom anyway to wash my hands. My hands are all sticky from the coffee."

I handed off the drinks and veered the opposite direction of where Edward was heading, into the ladies restroom. I was grateful for a minute to myself. "Stupid, stupid girl." I said under my breath. I ran the warm water and stuck my hands underneath the faucet. "Just breathe."

When I finished washing my hands and dried them off with a paper towel, I walked back to the arm chairs with as much confidence as I could muster. "Okay, where were we?" I sighed as I plopped down into the chair across from Edward, picking up my cup of coffee and welcoming the warmth it gave me as it went down my throat.

Edward chuckled. "You mean, before or after you knocked over the table?"

I rolled my eyes. "Or we can just pretend that never happened and talk about something completely different. That sounds good to me."

Edward smiled comfortingly. "That's fine. I don't think we were really talking about anything anyway."

_Oh yes we were_, I contradicted, in my head. _Old Bella, remember?_

We sat in short silence while we both searched for something to say. Edward finally broke the silence.

"Tell me about college."

Hmmm. Broad request. How do you fit four years into a light conversation? "What do you want to know exactly?"

"Everything." A smile played on his lips. He knew he was being difficult.

"Wow."

"Wow what?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's amazing that even in designer jeans and a star on the Walk of Fame that you're still the same old Edward Cullen," I teased.

He smirked, fully accepting the comment I threw at him as a response to the one he made about me earlier, but his smile receded into a thin line, something I didn't quite understand. "You still need to answer. Tell me about college. Considering the fact that I never finished… what did I miss out on?"

"Not much," I assured. I filled him in on all of the mundane details. Everything from my crappy dorms to crappy roommates to meeting Alice during the bowling class I took to get rid of my physical education requirement. He found it quite humorous that Alice insisted on buying and wearing her own bowling shoes and bowling ball, both matching in pink glitter, complete with a pink and black plaid bag, to avoid having to use the school's rented equipment from the bowling alley.

I found myself talking more than I had in years. However he managed to do that, I didn't know. But, by the end of our time together, I was thoroughly enjoying myself, not caring if this was a date or non-date anymore. It was fun to hear about Edward's experiences on set and to hear his opinions of actors and directors he's come across in his career; people who I've only dreamed about meeting were people he interacted with on a daily basis.

The only topic I distinctly avoided was my writing. For obvious reasons.

I watched Edward pull out his cell phone to check the time. "Do you have any other plans today, Bella?"

I shook my head. I couldn't ignore the disappointment I felt, and the desperate yearning for this moment to never end.

"I mentioned to my mother that I was going to see you today. She would be really upset if we didn't stop by. Would you mind?"

"Oh! Of course not! I'd love to see Esme. It's been so long."

"Oh good," Edward replied, as we both got up and started bundling up to face the bitter weather outside. "We can take my car and I'll just take you back here afterwards."

"That sounds good," I nodded as I flipped my hair over the collar of my coat.

"Oh! And I was talking to my mom before I left earlier today. She was just on the phone with one of her friends this morning, and apparently she's like obsessed with your books."

Uh-oh.

"Yeah, they have little discussion groups online and stuff. Isn't that crazy? Well, I'm sure you know all about that anyway. What I was going to say is, so my mom's friend is really into this one book… she didn't say what it was called, otherwise I probably would have remembered. But my mom remembered that you were an author and mentioned your name. Her friend was freaking out and really wants to meet you. I guess she even sent a copy of your book to my mom as a Christmas present. Mom's probably going to open it up early and read it so her friend will get off her case already. Isn't that crazy though? What a coincidence."

"Yeah." I numbly opened the door on the passenger side of Edward's car and slid in. I didn't even have to guess what book his mom would be reading. I knew.

**Insert evil laugh here Well, you can guess what the next chapter's going to be about. Let me know what you think! REVIEW!! :) You make me happy. Reviews show me how much my stories make YOU happy ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All respective characters are Stephenie Meyer's. I met her once, you know. She told me she liked the shirt I was wearing. Apparently, her son had one just like it. Yes, I am Bella-of-the-ball and I like to wear Men's t-shirts.

**AN: Yay! I did it! I updated! This chapter whipped my butt. All hail to _shwriteme_ for doing an AMAZING job with being my beta for this chapter! You all should thank her too, because it seriously would not have turned out even half as well without her. For reals. **

**I know it's been a while, but I hope it was worth the wait. It's extra long too, my longest chapter so far :) Don't forget to let me know what you think!**

CH 5

**BPOV**

The fingers of my right hand tapped nervously on the side of the passenger seat. The monotonous sound of the swishing wiper blades did nothing to calm my nerves. I was chewing the nails of my left hand, in an attempt to control any small amount of my inner hysteria. I could not bring myself to look over at Edward, but I could see from the corner of my eye, he had an amused expression on his face.

"Are you okay?"

My eyes were trained on the rain droplets that were splattered on the windshield before me, watching the spots smear down in one single wipe, over and over again. The sound was almost as loud as the sound of my heart.

"I'll take that as a _no_." Edward chuckled, as he slowed the car to stop at the red light.

"Huh?" I broke out of my daze at last, only to be hypnotized again by the deep green of his eyes. I shook my head to bring myself back to reality. "Did you say something?"

"You just seem kinda tense," Edward noted, his eyes soft as he smiled comfortingly at me.

I managed a half-smile of my own and shrugged my shoulders before turning my attention back to the road. "I just keep playing out all of these scenarios in my head… I'm nervous about who might be waiting for us back at your house."

"Oh come on, my family won't bite," Edward teased.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't hide my true apprehension, even as I turned my head away to look out the window again. Of course, my real fear was that we'd walk in some inopportune book club meeting and Edward would find out exactly what my book was about. I guess I figured he would find out eventually—I just didn't necessarily want to be there for his discovery.

More than ever I realized what an idiot I was in the first place for writing and publishing a book where he was the main character. To be honest, when I first started writing the book, I began it as sort of a therapeutic exercise—to get over this man who I was so pitifully enamored with. I didn't mean for anyone to read it except me.

But, as I continued writing, I was consumed by it and inspired by it. Pouring out my feelings on paper basically got me through the stress of being in college. When I finished it, I had over a thousand printed pages safely tucked away in the drawer of my nightstand. I expected to feel a sense of closure towards my feelings for Edward, which I did, right up until I saw his face flash up on my TV screen for the first time, not even a month later. It didn't take me long to realize that an entire homage to the beautiful Edward Cullen would do nothing to help me ignore or let go whatever I felt for him.

Still, I did feel a sense of accomplishment for doing something I never thought I could do. I completed a book. That piece of information was enough for me. I never intended anyone else to know. And then, of course, Alice found it.

**Three Years Ago- Junior Year of College**

"Alice….pick up…" I muttered into my small cell phone, listening impatiently for the obligatory rings, knowing full well that my best friend was purposely ignoring me. Correction. My ex-best friend.

I exhaled a huge gust of air in exasperation as I heard the familiar voice mail, noticing that she changed the outgoing message since the last time I called her. Yet again.

"_Hello, you've reached Alice Brandon. I can't answer the phone right now, so please leave your name and number, and I'll get right back to you. Oh yeah, and if this is Bella, I will continue to reject all of your phone calls until I'm done reading the book you never told me you were writing. Let's see….I'm on page 644 right now, so don't expect to hear from me for a couple of days. You're wasting your breath and your cell phone minutes until then. Ciao!"_

I waited for the beep, and commenced with my routine rant. "Alice! For the fifteenth time! What you did was an invasion of privacy! How dare you steal that copy from my nightstand! You of all people should know that nightstand objects are personal property that should not be taken at will! I don't go around fishing around in _your nightstand_, and take your vibrator from your drawer and _hold it hostage_! Why? Because that's not what best friends do! If you don't call me back within the next ten minutes, we are no longer friends, do you hear me? Alice, I mean it! I'm watching the clock!" I pulled the phone away from my ear before closing it shut and throwing it on my bed.

I fell backwards onto the mattress with my hands covering my face. I blindly reached for one of the pillows in front of my headboard, and grabbed both sides of it with my hands, bringing it to my face so I could give a good, loud scream. Once that was out of my system, I just continued to lie there, staring at the ceiling, numbly creating shapes out of the white spackled dots over my head.

Not even two minutes had passed before my phone rang to signal that I had a text message. Groaning, I rolled over to reach the small device and flipped it open.

"_You'll forgive me. Still not done. Stop calling :oP" _

I whimpered as I closed my phone again. I silently admitted defeat, but not before deciding I might as well distract myself by doing something I was never usually in the mood to do. In a way, I also wanted to punish Alice, because I knew she would be devastated if she knew I did this without her. I went shopping.

I grabbed the keys to my truck and my wallet before heading out the door. It wasn't far to the mall, but I almost wished it was, so more time would pass while I waited for Alice to inevitably call me back. I wandered in and out of store after store, probably scaring away most of the sales associates with the glazed-over look on my face.

There wasn't anything in particular that I wanted to buy, but the vindictive part of me made sure I splurged on something, just so I could throw it in Alice's face that I went on a shopping excursion to spite her. I ended up buying a couple of new shirts and shorts without having to dip too far into my spending account, which I was grateful for.

As I circled around the mall even further, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the neon sign that said "Bookstore" in bright red letters. I hurried towards the entrance, but my feet wouldn't move fast enough. I finally reached my destination after passing two cell phone kiosks, the food court, and Wally's Shoe Emporium. I felt an immense weight lifted off of my shoulders as soon as I was surrounded by the tall bookshelves and hundreds of books. The smell of fresh ink and paper always calmed me. I took my time, walking up and down each and every aisle, perusing titles for anything that sounded interesting or familiar.

I soon had a hefty stack of promising books under my arm, and started on a mission to find a place to sit down, so I could start reading.

Something stopped me on my way to the empty chair I spotted across the store, however. The green penetrating eyes I would know from anywhere.

I walked slowly in a daze, feeling a pull on my body that I couldn't escape from if I tried. Edward's face was staring back at me with his crooked smile, as though beckoning to me, just like he did in so many of my dreams I spent in his arms. I reached my free hand out to touch him, wishing that he was truly there with me, and not in the form of a magazine cover.

I inhaled a much needed breath, and I stepped closer to the rack of magazines, so close that my nose was nearly touching Edward's glossy, perfect face. My hand was trembling slightly, as I traced my thumb lightly over his eyebrows, and down to his high cheekbones. I held up the rest of my fingers and swept over his twinkling eyes, almost foolishly willing them to see mine. I achingly dragged them down and traced the outlines of his chiseled jaw line, and up slightly to his lips, lightly pink and conveying a look of softness, even through his smirk. So beautiful. So perfect. He was so perfect.

The sadness in my heart was heavy and unbearable. I wrote my book to get rid of him, and here he was again. Back in my life. And he didn't even know it.

Here was the reason why I hadn't wanted Alice to read my book. Why I could never let her read it. I wasn't sure exactly what Alice was going to say once she had finished it, but I knew all of the options would only bring everything I felt for Edward back to the surface. I was supposed to forget him, just like any girl is supposed to move on from her first crush. But just like I couldn't control how Alice stole my book from under my nose, I couldn't control the way the universe was throwing Edward back into my world.

"Bella."

I looked up, not realizing my mind had gone elsewhere. "Oh, hey, Jacob." My cheeks flushed when I realized that I had remnants of tears in my eyes and hastily wiped them away.

Jacob's expression turned quickly from excited to see me to one of concern. "Are you okay?" He gently reached up and touched my shoulder.

I nodded, accepting his friendly gesture. "Oh sure—it's just—allergies," I lied.

Jacob's eyebrows furrowed slightly as though he didn't believe me, but he must have thought it better to shrug it off, because he responded with a nod and said, "Yeah, the dust can get pretty crazy this time of the year."

"Mmhmm…." I smiled to assure him that there was really nothing wrong. "Hey, those look like textbooks. Isn't it a little late in the semester to be buying that stuff?" I said, as I teased him by pointing my finger towards the stack of the large hardbound books he held in front of him.

Jacob shrugged and smiled sheepishly, his bright white teeth gleaming against the tan of his skin. "Better late, than never, I say." He laughed. "At least I'm buying them _before_ midterms, instead of after."

"Right, like last year?" I reminded him with a smile.

"Exactly! See, I'm improving?" Jacob raised his eyebrows, expectantly.

"Yup. You're no longer a complete slacker. Now, you're just kinda lazy." I laughed.

Jacob chuckled and smiled brightly at me before turning his attention to my books. "Woah. And it looks like you're just about ready to buy out the entire store! Watcha got there?"

I rolled my eyes as I held out my display of paperbacks and small leather-bound books. "Nothing too interesting. I just thought I'd read for awhile to kill some time."

"Well those should keep you occupied until graduation."

I responded to Jacob's teasing with a smile.

In a split second, however, his expression sobered, and he extended his free arm to scratch the back of his head with his hand as he looked sideways at me. "So, what are you up to tonight, you know, besides reading 10 books at a time?" His eyes brightened hopefully, waiting for my answer.

As clueless as I was when it came to boys, even I wasn't oblivious to Jacob's obvious affection for me. Everything about him told me that I should have felt the same way, but I didn't. I couldn't force it. And it was complicated.

Still, I really liked Jacob, and I knew I didn't want to hurt his feelings altogether. "Aside from reading 10 books at a time…" I smiled lightly. "Well, I'm actually waiting for Alice to call me." This wasn't a complete lie, but I couldn't very well tell him that my plans consisted of me waiting around by the phone like a veal for the next two or three days until Alice finished the stupid book I wrote about a man I've been hopelessly in love with for years.

Disappointment faltered the smile on Jacob's face slightly. "Alright…well, if you end up not doing anything with Alice, and those books aren't enough entertainment for you—you know who won't be studying for his midterms," Jacob hinted.

I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind, Jake. It was good to run into you, though." I waved goodbye as he walked past me in the opposite direction, catching him turning around to wink at me before entering the check out line.

Despite the fact that I wasn't interested in Jacob romantically, I was grateful that I ran into him. In a much lighter mood, I found my way to the chair that was still empty and waiting for me at the end of the store and lost myself in my big stack of books until closing time, periodically checking my cell phone to see if I had any pending messages from Alice.

When I got home, I lost patience again and dialed Alice's number as I set my new purchases down on my kitchen table.

_**Ring…ring…ring…**__ "Hello. You've reached Alice Brandon. Please leave a message after the beep…and Bella…. 200 pages to go!" _**Beep.**

"Hi, Alice. In case you are at all wondering whether or not I am still mad at you, I just thought I would let you know that I just spend the last four hours _at the mall_. That's right, Alice. I was _shopping_. I was shopping without you. And let me tell you….it felt _good_." I hung up the phone and sauntered to my bedroom to change into an old t-shirt and cropped sweatpants for bed. My phone was still glued to my hand when I made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth, hoping Alice would surprise me with a phone call at any moment.

I had the urge to stay up all night, not wanting to miss Alice's call, but my body protested. I was too tired.

I yawned as I crawled into bed, plugging my phone into its charger and setting it on my nightstand before turning the lights off.

I sighed deeply, and didn't recall falling asleep, but I must have, because the next thing I knew, someone was banging on my front door.

I sat straight up in my bed, my hand instinctively clutching the fabric of my shirt over my chest to keep my rapidly beating heart from pounding out of my ribcage completely. I was in a panic, looking over at the clock, wondering if I overslept.

3:00 am.

It was still dark outside.

"Ugh…." I groggily set my feet down on the floor and stretched my arms up. The banging noise on the door wasn't ceasing. "Coming!"

Only one person would be at my house at this ungodly hour, of course.

I looked through the peephole anyway, to prepare myself for the worst. Alice's bulging head was staring back at me, all 1,000 plus pages of my secret novel tucked neatly under one arm. With the other, she was carrying a carton of what looked like 2 coffee drinks from Starbucks, complete with cardboard sleeves and plastic tops. _Well, if she thinks she can just win me over with a shot of espresso, she's got another thing coming. _

She seemed to know I was looking at her because she leaned forward, so that one eye was particularly bulbous and large as it looked back at me, and her mouth was formed into a thin smile that stretched into an outline of a half circle. "Bella! Open up!" Her high-pitched voice sang gracefully through the door. It irked me that someone could sound like that at 3:00 in the morning.

I took a deep breath to focus myself. I had a lot to say to this little woman. I swung open the door. "Alice Brandon. If you think for one moment that you can just walk right in--"

Alice walked right past me and plopped herself down on the couch of my living room. "Did you want the white chocolate mocha with skim or the hazelnut latte?"

My jaw dropped. _She completely ignored me!_ "Hey! In case you didn't get the 16 messages I left on your voice mail, we're not friends anymore!"

Alice waved with a small motion of her hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we just skip to the part where all is forgiven, and get to the part where we discuss how we're going to get your book published? Here, the hazelnut's a bit stronger. Should wake you up."

My mouth was still open in shock as she placed the cup of coffee securely in my hand. I stood there in silence as I processed the situation. Well, she was right. I was bound to forgive her—I was just hoping I could yell at her for an hour or two while she groveled at my feet, begging for forgiveness. But knowing Alice, she'd just turn it around and I'd end up being the one asking her to forgive me for not confiding in her about the book I was writing. "Actually, can I have the mocha?"

Alice smiled in triumph as she switched the cups in my hand. "You sure can, lady." She patted the empty spot beside her on the couch and I sat down, however reluctant I was to give in so quickly.

"So I take it you finished reading it, then?"

"Mmmhmm." Alice nodded enthusiastically, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"And you couldn't have just called me on the phone?"

"Uh-uh." Alice shook her head with just as much enthusiasm.

"You really thought it was necessary to scare the shit out of me at 3 AM to have this conversation?"

"Mmmhmm." Another nod.

I sighed. "Alright." I leaned my head back against the sofa, ready for whatever Alice had coming for me. "Go."

Alice squealed. "Bella! I should shoot you right now for keeping this from me. I mean, I knew it was going to be good, but holy shit! I couldn't put it down! You seriously have something here, and I'm not just saying this as your best friend. Bella, I want to help you. You totally need to get this thing published."

My eyes were shut tight, as though closing them would make her stop talking. "No."

"No?"

"No!" I sat up from my slouch and looked determinedly at her. "I'm glad you liked it, Alice, I really am. But that book was something I wrote for—well—I didn't mean for anyone else to see it."

"Well that much is obvious," Alice relented. "Considering you hid it in your nightstand, and didn't even mention a word of it to me. But, Bella, if you're worried that it's not good enough, you really shouldn't be—"

"No, it's not that. I mean, I guess that's part of it. But the main reason isn't that…" I shook my head, interrupting her. I couldn't explain it to her. Even if she was my best friend, I didn't know if she would understand. It was so pathetic. I buried my face in my hands, willing away the tears that were threatening to spill out of my eyes.

I heard the apprehension in Alice's voice as she spoke again, much softer. "The story is about you, isn't it?"

I felt too weak to lift my head at that point, but I nodded my head, and knew Alice understood when I felt her small hand draw comforting circles on my back. The dam broke, and soon enough, my arms were soaked in my own salty tears.

"God... So this Edward guy is real?"

I nodded again, my hands still covering my face, my elbows on my knees.

"Wow." She was quiet for a moment. "Is he really as hot as you described him?"

I managed a small chuckle for the first time, as I searched through the stacks of magazines on my coffee table. I found the magazine I was looking for and flipped a few pages in. "Here."

"You're shitting me." Alice's eyes were as wide as saucers. "And here, I thought you were writing about a different Edward Cullen. I even said to myself, 'Oh, weird, they have the same name. Oh weird, they kinda look alike. It can't be the same guy, because, surely Bella would have told me if she went to school with a fucking movie star!'"

I cringed.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about him?" Alice asked.

I wanted to blow off her question, but her face showed a genuine look of concern that I couldn't ignore. "Because I'm completely and utterly in love with him. And in case you didn't pay attention to the book you just read, I'm pathetically so. And unlike the character that is based on me in that book, I didn't get the guy."

"Did you ever tell him how you felt?"

I shook my head. "I was too afraid. We were friends. I didn't want to ruin what we had."

"Uh-huh. Yeah, that makes sense," Alice remarked, sarcastically. "So instead, you spend the next three years of your life daydreaming and living in this fantasy world to protect yourself from ever finding someone who could actually love you the way you deserve to be loved."

I didn't have an adequate response to that. It was true.

"You're going to publish this book."

I looked at Alice, incredulously. "What? No, I can't. I told you. If I get this book published…what if he finds out?"

"Exactly." Alice smiled confidently. "Bella, in all of the time I've known you, since the first day of college when we were put in the same freshman orientation group, I have never seen you even remotely interested in anyone romantically. You've rejected so many guys, I've had people ask me if you were a lesbian."

My eyes widened in surprise.

"It's true," she responded, noticing my expression. "But, Bella. If the words on these pages share even an inkling of what you feel for Edward…he needs to know." She looked at me with a new determination that frightened me. "Either you get this book published, or I'm going to do what it takes to tell him myself."

"You wouldn't…" I called Alice's bluff, but I knew full well that she was certainly capable of hunting him down in the middle stall of a men's bathroom in Cambodia, if that's where he was.

"Think of it this way," Alice reasoned, trying to calm my nerves. "We'll just leave it up to fate. If we submit this book to all of the agencies out there, and every one of them rejects our response, then you're off the hook. Even if it gets published, the chances are slim that he'd even come across it, aren't they?"

I nodded.

"Then, you're off the hook." Alice paused before continuing. "But if this book turns out to be the success that I think it's going to be… Edward will find out, and we'll know that fate put you two together." She smiled. "So, between you and me, I think that really is the best option."

I sighed. "You've got a point…" I admitted. "At least let me change his name, though."

Alice shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me." Her eyes brightened with hope. "So does that mean you're going to do it?"

I scrunched up my face in thought. "I don't know, Alice. I just don't know if I'm cut out to be a writer."

"Bella." Alice placed both hands on my shoulders to put me in place, giving me no excuse to turn away. "What else can you see yourself doing?"

I pondered it for a moment before I answered. "Nothing. There's nothing else I want to do."

She smiled and placed one hand on my cheek. "That's my girl."

I watched her run upstairs, and a moment later she descended back down with my laptop. "Okay, I found some websites that give pretty good advice on this sort of thing, so I think that's a good place to start."

I smiled as I watched Alice work feverishly on outlines for cover letters and queries that I was supposed to submit to different agencies. As hard as it was for me to come to terms with the possibility that someday Edward would discover all of these buried feelings I had for him, excitement in me began to build and overshadow the fear of him finding out. My dream of being a writer seemed more tangible than I ever knew possible. And I guess, in a way, I had Edward to thank for that.

"Hey, you know what would be weird?" Alice interrupted my train of thought, looking up at me from the computer.

"What?" I asked, taking another sip of my coffee.

"What if your book became so popular that they wanted to turn it into a movie, and cast Edward as the lead role? Ha! That would be hilarious!"

Hilarious, it most certainly would be not. At least for me, that prospect was so far and distant into the future, that it didn't even seem like a possibility I had to worry about. I rolled my eyes at Alice. "Yeah. Like it would ever come to that."

Alice shrugged.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to gain some of the sleep I missed out on, only to hear Alice shout out not a moment later.

"Hey!"

"What?" I frowned, my eyes adjusting to the light as I looked around me. Alice was now standing next to my kitchen table, pointing to the unmarked bags. She was unmistakably pouting.

"Did you go shopping without me?!"

Apparently, Alice didn't hear the last message I left on her voice mail.

**Present Day**

"Alright, we're here!" Edward parked the car on the driveway before pulling back the parking break and opening his door.

I unbuckled my seat belt and fumbled with the handle to the door beside me. "Great."

Edward met me outside of my door and held out a hand to help me out. I was too nervous to truly appreciate the gesture, despite the expected tingling of my hand when he grabbed it to pull me up.

"Thanks," I muttered.

Edward laughed. "Man. Are you really that freaked out over meeting a few fans? I'd hate to take you on the red carpet with me."

I frowned. I knew he didn't mean anything by it, but I couldn't help my reaction. _The red carpet. Ha. Me, Edward's date on the red carpet..._ I felt a pang in my chest as the realization set in of how ridiculous that sounded. What hurt the most was how much I wished it didn't sound crazy at all.

I turned my head towards Edward in time to see the changed expression on his face. "Sorry, did I upset you?"

I overcompensated by waving my hand in the air and plastered on a fake smile. "No, of course not. I'm just kind of out of it right now. I'm being weird." As if that was any explanation.

Edward seemed to accept it, though. The smile returned to his face as he hopped up the steps to the front entryway of his large house. He opened the door and stepped aside to let me through.

I trudged past him, onto the stone floors of the entryway, letting a rush of familiar smells and memories attack me at once.

"Mom?" Edward's voice surprised me. He was much closer than I realized, and soon, I felt his hand press gently against the small of my back as he led me further inside, closing the door behind him.

"In here!" Esme's voice called faintly from somewhere in the house.

"I think she's in the kitchen," Edward informed me.

I slowly unbuttoned my trench coat as we made our way past the well-decorated living room, and a long hallway that led to the kitchen. I hadn't realized that I had been holding my breath the entire time, until it all came out in one big "whoosh" as I took in the sight before me.

To my relief, Esme was alone. It looked like she was making a dessert of some kind. Silver pans and ingredients sprawled across the large island in the center of the expansive kitchen.

"Bella!" Esme came towards me with her arms open wide. I smiled as she embraced me, flattered that she had remembered me after all these years. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's so good to see you, too, Esme," I responded, returning her hug. But as her arms were still wrapped around me, I took a quick glance at the room again, and saw something that made my heart stop in blind panic.

Plain as day, right next to the carton of eggs and the clean metal whisk that lay stationary on the far kitchen counter, was the hard-bound book with a light blue cover that I recognized immediately.

_Fantastic._

I managed to recover from my look of shock and horror before I pulled back, averting my eyes from the counter to make sure I wouldn't draw attention to it. "So, how are you? It's been such a long time."

Esme gave me a warm smile. "I'm wonderful. What more could a mother want than having her two full-grown sons home for the holidays? Other than help with the dishes." She winked at me.

Edward interrupted our conversation. "Mom, stop pretending that Emmett and I didn't just help you scour this entire kitchen with a toothbrush and bucket of soapy water yesterday! And DON'T pretend that you didn't have anything to do with it, Mrs. I'll Throw a Spoonful of Cranberry Sauce at my Own Son!" His finger was pointed at his mother now, his face revealing a twinkle in his eyes behind the stern expression.

I grinned when a small blush appeared on Esme's cheeks and I raised my eyebrows at Edward. "Was that the real reason I saw you at the store the other day?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders, but a playful smirk lingered on his lips. He leaned back against the sink, popping chocolate chips in his mouth from a bag he grabbed next to the mixing bowl. "I almost wish I could say it was. No, my dad is just that much of a baby." He spoke the last sentence louder, and I saw that Carlisle had entered the room behind me.

"Who's a baby?" Carlisle asked. He garnered confusion on his face, looking around. Esme and Emmett were both hiding smiles, and even I was suppressing a giggle so I wouldn't give them away. "Bella!" My heart foolishly skipped a beat when Carlisle's crinkly smile reminded me so much of Edward's version. He hugged me tightly with one arm. His other arm was reaching into the bag of chocolate chips in Edward's hand. "It's good to see you. Did you have a good Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, I had a great Thanksgiving. My stomach's _still_ full, actually."

"Edward tells me that you beat him off with a stick to get to that last can of cranberry sauce." Carlisle grinned, his mouth partially full of chocolate chips.

"Karate chopped him in the neck, actually," I joked. I mistakenly let my eyes fall on Edward, who took that moment to glance at me, his mouth turning into the crooked smile he was known for. My breath hitched. I groaned internally, hoping no one else would notice the heat rising to my cheeks.

"Well, as disappointed as I was that Edward came home empty-handed, I'm happy to know that he was gentleman enough not to guilt you into handing it over. I know how persuasive my son can be." Carlisle reached over and unashamedly tousled Edward's hair where he was standing. Their interaction tugged at something within me. I saw a glimpse of young Edward for a split second as he gave a sheepish smile in my direction, bringing one hand up to tame the tangled mess his hair had become. I thought it was adorable the way his hair was strewn about in all directions.

"Edward's always a gentleman. That much hasn't changed since high school." I assured Carlisle. "Besides, there's no way I would have given him that can, no matter how persuasive Edward can be. My dad has a gun," I reminded him.

Carlisle chuckled.

Esme's silence up until this point triggered panic in the back of my mind. I couldn't ignore the change in her expression now as I dared myself to look at her. I willed myself to turn my head, and there I saw it. The unmistakably welcome smile and sparkling eyes turned into something completely different now. She was staring right at me with a peculiar look on her face. A look of examination. Needless to say, I felt uncomfortable.

"Honey—" Carlisle addressed Esme. She broke her gaze from mine, much to my relief, and turned her attention to her husband. "Did you tell Bella what you told me about Eileen and the book club?"

"Oh, yes." The sparkle returned to Esme's eyes as she was brought back into the conversation. "I was talking to my friend Eileen on the phone just this morning, Bella, and you know that she is just enthralled with your books.

I was holding my breath, waiting for her to get to the part where she would tell her son how obsessed and crazy I was. I was still holding onto an inkling of hope that she would just stop talking. Another part of me was wondering if there was a chance she somehow might be unaware that my book was about Edward.

"Anyway, she runs this book club, and the next book on the list happens to be _Angel at Dusk,_ which she tells me is your big best-seller—am I right, Bella?" If Esme was playing games with me, she certainly wasn't letting on.

I gulped. "Um. I suppose." I let out a nervous giggle.

"So, as I was talking to her today, she mentions your name as the author of the book, I tell her about how you went to school with Edward, she just about bursts my eardrum through the telephone because she's screaming so loud—" She paused to pour the mixed batter into designated pans. "She wanted to come over, of course, when I told her you might be stopping by, but lucky for you she had a dentist appointment she couldn't get out of." At that moment she looked up quickly and it seemed like she winked at me. My own eyes blinked before I could register the action. I glanced at Edward and Carlisle, but neither of them seemed to notice the gesture. They were both too busy burying their hands in the bag of chocolate chips.

"Well, that's too bad." I felt free to say it, knowing that I could afford to be polite without worrying about random strangers coming over to ask me where I got my inspiration for my book, when he was standing less than three feet away from me.

"I have to admit, though. Now that Eileen knows about my connection to you, don't be surprised if you get phone calls from a middle-aged woman asking for your attendance at our next meeting. Then you'll know she went through my palm pilot," she joked. "She did manage to bring the book over this morning, as an early Christmas present. She demanded that I start it as soon as possible, so that's my goal for today, as soon as I make all of these cookies and brownies for the community bake sale."

"You haven't started it yet?" I crossed my toes and my fingers behind my back.

"No," she answered, but she gave me a meaningful look as she looked up at me again. "But I've heard a lot about it."

I shot a nervous look at Edward and Carlisle.

Edward gave me a sympathetic smile before turning to his mother. "Mom, Bella didn't come over just to have you talk about how all of your friends are obsessed with her."

Esme laughed, good-naturedly. "Sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Certainly, I didn't scare you from coming back, did I? Because you're welcome at our home anytime."

"Oh, not at all." I smiled to assure her. "I would love to speak at the book club, actually. It's fun having an outlet to talk about my work."

"That's surprising," Edward mused. "Considering you don't even want your dear old pal Edward to read your books."

Esme's eyes narrowed upon me. I bit my lip nervously.

"Well, I hear they _are_ on the girly side," Esme said playfully, much to my relief.

"That's what Bella said." Edward laughed.

"Well, we don't need to be taking all of your time, Bella. I'm sure you have better things to do than hang out with us old folks," Carlisle joked.

Edward rolled his eyes. "You're right, dad. Bella, let's get away from these old fogies, shall we?"

I smiled. "I'm fine with whatever. The old fogies don't bother me."

"Alright," Edward said through his chuckling. "We can go bug Emmett. I think he's upstairs. You remember Emmett, don't you?"

"Of course. Is he still as big as a house?"

"Yeah. Bigger, in fact," said Edward.

We sauntered into the hallway together, but as we turned the corner, the look that Esme was giving me from the middle of the kitchen did not escape me. Her face stretched into an amused smile, and there was a mischievous gleam in her eye. As I followed Edward up the stairs, I looked back as Esme pulled the pale blue book from the counter and mouthed the words slowly and clearly for me, pointing to the cover:

"I read it."

**AN: DUN DUN DUN! Lots more fun to come! Please review and let me know what you thought...I'd love to hear from all of you! Also, I started another fanfic called "Piano Lessons" that edwardsothalova is beta-ing for me, and you should read what I have so far! Love you all! Thanks for the tremendous ff support! Woohoo! I can go take a shower now that I'm done...and then off to write the Volterra Rocks update I know a bunch of you are waiting for. Just know that I'm helping my dad install hardwood floors in his house this week...**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: _All Stephenie's characters. My plot. And a slightly different Edward._

**A/N: I know what you're thinking: FINALLY! Well, it's hard work juggling three stories at the same time. But this is 20 pages of pure Bella and Edward goodness, so think of it as a super chapter for taking so long to get this out.**

**First of all, I bow down to shwriteme for being my beta for this story. She gave me great suggestions and helped make this chapter even more super than what it started with :)**

**This story is up for an award, along with Volterra Rocks for a couple of others, so go check out the links on my profile and vote! I'm up against some amazing stories by amazing authors, so I thank whoever nominated me for putting me up to par with those whom I've admired so much in fanficdom. I'm so honored! If nothing else, tell your friends about me, because I love getting new readers!**

**Again, thanks for the amazing reviews! I know a lot of you have been waiting a long time, so I hope this is worth the wait! Don't hesitate to come join me and other amazing ladies on twilighted (dot) net to discuss!!**

CHAPTER 6

**BPOV**

She read it.

My face was still frozen in shock, but my body was on auto-pilot, slowly climbing up the stairs behind Edward. Esme's figure disappeared out of my line of sight as I ascended, but I couldn't seem to form the coherent thoughts required to tell my head to turn forward.

So, Esme was playing a game with me. But for what purpose?

My mind stewed on that question for the reminder of my visit with Edward's family. I was barely present when Edward and I went to chat with Emmett.

As we sauntered down the hallway, I could hear loud rhythmic clicking noises and the faint sound of music.

"Hey Em. What's going on?" Edward knocked softly on the open door outside of the room Emmett was occupying.

Emmett was sitting on a folding chair in front of a large TV with two drumsticks in his hands. He was banging away on something that looked like a small plastic drum-kit. His back was to us, but the straining muscles of his large back indicated he was deep in concentration. Apparently six years served to make his body even bigger than humanly possible.

Edward snorted. "You never bother Emmett when he's playing Rock Band," he warned me with a whisper. "Emmett," he called. "Emmett."

"Hold on." Emmett pounded away. I couldn't help but find myself slightly hypnotized by the bright colored buttons on the screen.

Edward must have noticed because he nudged me playfully. "You want to play next?"

I blushed, shrugging my shoulders. "I don't know how."

"It's not that hard. If Emmett can do it…" he trailed off with a smirk.

"Hey!" Emmett retorted, his eyes leaving the screen for the first time. He looked back at me with surprise. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't realize Edward had company." He paused his game and stood up to greet me. "I'm Emmett." He extended his hand.

I smiled awkwardly. "Umm…"

Emmett furrowed his brow at me and I could see the recognition start to form. "Wait…Bella?" He held up his hand to indicate a much smaller person from his memory.

I nodded.

"Wow. You've grown up." Emmett instinctively looked me up and down for a split second, disbelief flickering on his face. My cheeks were burning as I looked around the room uncomfortably.

Edward shot Emmett a disapproving look.

Emmett quickly recovered and gave me a look of apology, which I accepted with a sheepish smile. "You look great, Bella. What have you been up to?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Um…well, I'm a writer—"

"Oh, that's right! Yeah, Edward mentioned something about that. Mom's been reading your book for the past few days; it's like she can't put it down—"

"Wait. Mom was just saying how she hadn't even started reading her books yet," Edward interrupted.

Emmett's eyes widened as he shifted his gaze between Edward and me. Wait. Did he know too? "Um…oh yeah. That's right. I must have been thinking about another book. But hey, Bella. So, you're writing. That's great!" He patted a large hand on the side of my arm.

I tried to smile, but I had a feeling it looked more like a grimace. "Yeah," I said softly. "What are you up to these days?"

Emmett ran his fingers through his thick mane of dark curly hair. Somehow, it didn't carry the same effect as when Edward did it. "I'm kinda all over the place. I've been in Seattle, mostly, working as a personal trainer. Every now and then, I work for my little brother in LA, trying to get him into shape if a role calls for it." He punched Edward playfully in the shoulder. "You think he got his Superman physique all by himself? That's three hours a day of Emmett boot camp, my friend. It took a lot of work to get him wearing that red, blue, and yellow just right for the big screen."

I laughed. "Maybe you should have asked them if you could wear your Superman pajamas. You wouldn't have had to work out so much to fill those out."

It was Edward's turn to blush. "Oh man, don't remind me. I can't believe you were willing to be seen with me wearing that thing. What was I thinking?" He shook his head. "I'm surprised you didn't stop being my friend right then."

I smiled comfortingly. "I thought it was cute."

"Did you?" Edward asked incredulously.

"Did you?" Emmett mocked playfully. He rolled his eyes, picking up a plastic guitar game controller from the floor and handed it to Edward. "You guys wanna play or what? Bella you take the drums, Edward take the guitar. I'll sing."

Edward cringed. "You're going to sing?"

Emmett seemed to take offense to that. "Yes! I'm an incredible singer."

"Says, who? Mom?" Edward muttered under his breath.

I stifled a giggle.

I set myself in front of the drum-set, and couldn't help but admit that I was a little nervous. "Um…what do I do?"

Emmett pointed to the screen with his microphone. "Just follow the colors and hit the drum when you see the buttons cross that line on the screen," he instructed. "See how each of the pads are a different color?" he asked, pointing to the drum set now.

I nodded. I grasped the drumsticks tightly in my hands.

"Yeah, you'll get the hang of it. Everyone sucks when they first start out."

I glanced over at Edward who looked a little silly with the underwhelming size of the guitar strapped around his neck. It was an image of a grown-man playing pretend, and with Edward, the image was quite humorous. To me, it was absolutely charming though. He couldn't have looked more attractive if he had a real guitar in his hands.

"You're really good at this aren't you?" I asked.

He smirked. "I'm alright."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Just don't make fun of me when I screw up, okay?"

He laughed. "Of course I'm not going to make fun of you. I wouldn't do that."

"Are we ready?" Emmett asked, his microphone poised in hand.

We nodded.

I watched as Emmett picked a song I didn't recognize on the screen with his controller. My setting was on "easy" of course. Edward chose the "hard" setting, but I had a feeling that he probably just didn't want me to make a big deal out of him playing on "expert."

The song was starting and my eyes were squinting up at the screen, frantically trying to make sense of the rushing images.

"Oh, shit—what—" I was already off to a bad start. My sticks were waving up in the air in uncoordinated karate-chop-like patterns.

Edward burst into laughter. "You're doing fine. Just keep following the colors."

My face was screwed up in concentration. A noise emitted from within me that had Edward near hysterics.

"Did you just growl, Bella? What was that?" Emmett asked.

I ignored them, my eyes staring intently at the screen.

"Uh oh," Edward muttered. "I think we just created a Rock Band monster."

Thirty minutes later and I was truly enjoying myself. I was still horrible, but it didn't even matter. Even though Edward was amazing at this game, just as I expected, it helped that Emmett's singing voice was horrendous. I was able to let go of my worries for at least a little while, and I was extremely grateful for that. I cheerfully said goodbye to Emmett, who wrapped me in a bone crushing bear hug before he let me out of the room.

As soon as I stepped out into the hallway however, everything came rushing back. Esme. She was still downstairs.

I took a deep breath as we descended. I was behind Edward, and was tempted to think of him as a shield as I readied myself for potential battle.

Esme's poker face was still on as we made our way back through the kitchen.

"I think I'm going to take Bella back now, Mom," Edward informed his mother. He

pointed to a batch of chocolate chip cookies cooling off on top of the counter by the stove. "Can I have one of those?"

"Yes," Esme absent-mindedly answered before looking up at me.

I gulped with apprehension oozing out of me.

She smiled. I tried to do the same. It looked like she was going to laugh. "Bella!" she exclaimed, opening her arms towards me. "I am so glad that you let Edward drag you over here. It was so great to see you." She embraced me in a tight hug, but it was hardly as physically harmful as Emmett's had been. She pulled back so her face was only inches from mine. "I'll call you," she said meaningfully. She was still smiling, but there was an air of intensity surrounding her eyes that I knew was meant for only me to see. My mind replayed every word and gesture, trying to figure out what she would do with my secret. I sighed. I guess I'd have to wait for her phone call.

I nodded. "It was good to see you too, Esme." And I meant it. I hoped she knew.

She patted my cheek lightly with one hand before she pulled back completely. "I made an extra batch of cookies for you to take home with you. Please take them." She handed me a paper plate full of at least a dozen chocolate chip cookies sheathed in saran wrap.

"Thank you." I accepted the gift and held the plate to my body with both hands.

I said my goodbyes as we approached the doorway. I remembered waving to Carlisle who had appeared from inside the garage, putting her arm around Esme as they escorted us out. I remembered numbly walking in front of Edward as he ushered me outside.

"I'm really sorry about that, Bella." Edward closed the door behind us as we walked back out to his car. "My mom begged me for your phone number before I went to meet you today. I hope it wasn't presumptuous of me to give it to her."

I managed a small smile as I looked back at Edward, who was now trotting past me to the passenger side of his dad's expensive-looking Mercedes to open the door for me. "Oh, not at all," I said.

I crawled inside and let Edward shut the door for me. I fumbled with the seatbelt as he came inside the car from the driver's side. I couldn't help but relax a little when Edward gave me his signature crooked smile as he watched me struggle.

"Here."

He reached over and took the buckle out of my hands. My hands shrank away instinctively upon his touch. Oh my god, he smelled so good. I took the deepest breath I could muster. His body warmth radiated against my own, which now seemed even more comforting against the cool of the winter air. His hot breath was coming out in clouds of steam and I felt it all too well on my neck and my face at the opportune moments where my skin was exposed enough to feel it. I was rigid beneath him, willing myself not to combust as he reached across my body, occasionally grazing my shoulder, my arms, the tips of my breasts through my sweater and my thin cotton bra…

"Oh, sorry." Edward blushed when he accidentally brushed up against my breasts with his fingers. The soft touch left my skin on fire. He pulled back as though his fingers had been scorched with the contact.

I was too dazed to register what happened. "What?"

"I…um…" he trailed off, obviously not knowing quite how to paraphrase what he'd done.

I managed to wave my hand. "Oh, it's okay." There. That was casual enough, right?

He leaned back when I was buckled in and started the engine to back out of the driveway. His cell phone started ringing as soon as we were on the road.

"Not answering that," he muttered, shoving the phone back into his pocket after checking the caller ID.

"Who is it?" I said the words before I realized it, and I smacked myself in the head mentally for being so nosy. "Sorry, you don't have to tell me."

Edward smiled. "No, I don't mind. It was my publicist. I'll just call her back later, probably something about my meeting tomorrow. Oh—hey! My publicist is Jessica! You remember Jessica, don't you?"

"Oh my gosh," I said, shocked. "Yeah, of course, I remember her. That's right. I heard she was out in LA. Crazy. I didn't know you still kept in touch with her." The pang of jealousy I felt couldn't be ignored. "You'll have to tell her I say 'hi'."

"I will," he assured. He paused, seeming to think of something. "Are you ever in LA?"

I glanced up at him. "Every now and then, I guess. I'm kind of all over, what with book signings and whatnot."

Edward looked contemplative.

"Why?" The curiosity got the better of me.

Edward was silent, and the silence felt excruciatingly long before he answered. "No reason."

Ugh. If only I could read his mind at that moment. I let the silence pass along with his vague answer and watched the wet streets and pavement whiz by my window. Could we just drive along forever so I wouldn't have to say goodbye to Edward? The knowledge of our parting was starting to spread like a disease in my aching chest.

I sighed. What I wouldn't give to live back in the time of my life when this was all so much easier to understand.

_**9 Years Ago- Homecoming Week**_

"It's Pajama Day, Bella. Why aren't you in your pajamas?"

I glanced up from my desk and almost burst into laughter. "Because I didn't want to end up looking like that," I teased, pointing at Edward's getup.

Edward stood in front of our shared table-desk with a proud grin stretching from ear to ear. He displayed a bright blue t-shirt with the Superman logo emblazoned in red and yellow stretched across his torso and ending just underneath his bellybutton. It was clearly a few sizes two small and if he wasn't so scrawny, I might have blushed from the hint of a six-pack he showed beneath his tight shirt. Suddenly, I wasn't so surprised that he was going out for track and baseball this year. His blue fleece pants hung low on his hips, but didn't quite stretch to his ankles. Red converse high-top sneakers adorned his feet, but the most amusing aspect of his outlandish outfit was the small red cotton cape hanging by a tie around his neck.

I giggled. "You wear those to bed every night, Edward? They look a little snug."

Edward shrugged, the smile never leaving his face as he plopped down next to me. He hiked up his pant legs when he sat down, so even more of his calves were exposed. "Well I don't wear them anymore," he admitted. "But come on! These are awesome!"

I shook my head with laughter.

"Bella, look into my eyes and tell me how cool I look."

I burst into silent chuckles at the earnest expression on his face, and the paradox it presented against the bright primary colors of his costume. "No," I whispered, noting the start of class by writing the date at the top of my Science notebook before turning my attention back to Edward.

"Why not?" he whispered back.

"Because I am not going to lie to you," I said, meeting his gaze with a matter-of-fact smile.

Something seemed to resonate in Edward with my response, because he smiled back with a look that was half smug, and half something I couldn't quite interpret. "Fair enough," he said, dramatically throwing his cape over the back of his chair before turning his attention from me to the overhead projector where he began taking notes.

As I looked over the class I realized it was filled with bright colored flannels and animal slippers. My weak attempt at showing school spirit today consisted of an oversized grey college sweatshirt my dad handed down to me and navy blue flannel drawstring pants. I guess I didn't get the memo that "Pajama Day" was the teenage girl's opportunity to violate the school's dress code with spaghetti strap tank tops and thin shorts or pajama pants that left little to the imagination. Obviously my female classmates brought a separate change of clothes to school, because I could not quite imagine them bearing the cold and rainy Washington weather so scantily clad.

I turned my attention to Mr. Banner at the front of the room, but it wasn't long before I felt the familiar jab of Edward's pencil on my arm. I reflexively turned my head to see that Edward was purposefully looking straight ahead, yet his pencil adamantly tapped on the desk, and looked down to see a piece of loose-leaf notebook paper with Edward's recognizable scrawl across the top of the page. I inconspicuously slid it over to my side so I could read his writing more easily.

_I can't believe you don't think I look awesome._

I clapped my hand to my mouth to stifle my laughter, pointedly rolling my eyes at Edward once I knew he was looking in my direction. His eyes crinkled up, apparently appreciating that I thought his note was funny, but he raised his eyebrows with an expectant glance. He was waiting for me to write him back.

I scribbled something down and passed the paper back to him underneath the table. He intercepted it without glancing down or at me once. He snickered when he read what I wrote.

_You look kinda ridiculous though._

He pursed his lips in careful thought as he wrote back to me. He slid it back with a deadpan expression.

_You mean it's ridiculous how awesome I look._

I snorted. Mr. Banner looked up and I tried to hide the piece of paper in my arms as I pretending to write more lecture notes in my binder. I'm sure the furious blush on my cheeks didn't help.

"Is there something funny, Bella?" Mr. Banner asked, garnering an expression that lacked any trace of amusement on his face. He tapped his overhead marker onto the projector as he awaited my response.

"No, sir." I mumbled. I dared myself to lift my eyes to him, hoping that he wouldn't torture me any further by letting the entire class's eyes settle upon me for this long.

My answer seemed to appease Mr. Banner enough so that he broke his gaze and continued on with his droning about wildlife creatures and biomes.

Edward sensed my embarrassment; I could tell by the sympathetic smile I saw on his face when I looked his way.

The next ten minutes of class, Edward and I didn't push our luck. I knew he understood that being almost caught by Mr. Banner meant that I wouldn't send him any more notes. Not for a while, anyway. It was times like these I realized how Edward truly made this class so much more bearable for me. I didn't have long to dwell on it, before the PA system buzzed and a crackled voice spoke over our heads.

"Please excuse this interruption… I have the nominees for Homecoming Royalty." Mrs. Cope's high-pitched speech reverberated with a buzz off the white walls of the classroom. My classmates started to rustle their papers and shift in their seats from excitement. I merely put down my pen and gave a look of boredom as I propped my head up on the desk with one hand. Edward smiled at me, amused at my expression.

We listened as Mrs. Cope listed off the candidates for each grade level, starting with the senior class and working her way down. I recognized Edward's brother among the junior class candidates and we shared a smile upon that announcement.

"And for the freshman class, the nominees for Homecoming Prince are Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton."

Mike made a point at that moment to turn around and grin at me, probably gauging my reaction to his nomination. I tilted my head with a smile in congratulations, but it was slightly forced on my part. My eyes shifted down automatically when I saw that Edward had that calculative expression he always wore whenever I interacted with Mike. I was never sure what it was Edward was looking for when he looked at me that way, and I was surely not going to humiliate myself by asking him.

I focused my attention to the ceiling, as though Mrs. Cope was particularly enthralling at that instant, wrapping up her announcements through the old speaker.

"Lastly, the nominees for Freshman Homecoming Princess are…Tanya Denali, and...Oh. I guess she's running unopposed. Congratulations, then, Tanya. Now, remember, voting will take place by private ballots during your lunch time, and you may purchase tickets up until Friday. Our spirit week continues tomorrow with Super Hero Day. Come dressed up as your favorite super hero."

Her announcement ended abruptly with the click of her microphone and the fuzzy ringing of the PA system as communication was cut off.

Tanya was running unopposed, so she had a default crown. Figures. Not many girls at this school could compete with all three feet of her strawberry blond hair, perfect fair complexion, and a face that gave Charlize Theron a run for her money.

Before I realized it, the rest of the class period zoomed by, and soon enough the bell rang. Exhaling loudly, I got up from my chair and stretched my arms out.

"Oh, so you did wear pajamas," Edward noted, taking in my appearance.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Although, I can't say that I look nearly as _cool_ as you do."

Edward barked out a laugh. "Yes! I knew you would like it. I made the cape myself."

I giggled. "Yeah, and it looks like it took you hours," I deduced, with an all too innocent expression.

Edward narrowed his eyes at me as he caught onto my sarcasm. I expected him to continue our playful argument, but instead he reached out a hand and lightly tugged on one of my braids as we walked out of the room together. "I like these."

"Thanks." I smiled, reaching my hand up to the two French braids woven through my scalp and past my shoulders. "I made them myself," I joked.

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, I noticed. He seemed distracted.

Edward walking me to class had become a daily unspoken tradition; somewhere along the road between the first time he did it two months ago and now, it just became an assumed practice. I liked it.

We walked in silence past the rows of lockers on the first floor. I tried not to be embarrassed by association when we walked past a group of upperclassmen who gave pointed stares in Edward's direction. Granted most of the student body wore pajamas that day, but Edward managed to stick out like a sore thumb. It was amazing that he wasn't fazed by the attention.

It wasn't until I saw his brother, Emmett, that I realized where he got his overwhelming confidence from.

"Edward!" An incredibly large teenage boy came looming towards us with a huge grin on his face. It was like something out of a bad horror movie, taking in the sight of him. At over six feet tall, Emmett could hardly be considered a boy. His ensemble was downright hilarious, all 210 pounds of him stuffed into a light-pink, blue and yellow flannel pajama set, complete with built in booties and a white baby bonnet.

"Hey, Emmett!" Edward waved to his brother across the hall.

"Lookin' good, Ed," Emmett proclaimed, and Edward accepted his compliment with a nod of his head.

Emmett seemed to have already made quite the impression on Forks High School in such a short amount of time. After all, he and Edward had been here as long as me, and not two months past the first day of school, he was not only quarterback of the football team but now he was nominated for Homecoming Court.

Of course he was gorgeous with his dark curly head of hair and dimpled smile, but his personality was one that would draw people from miles away. I didn't have to know him very well to surmise as much.

"So that's cool that he's up for Homecoming royalty," I said once we were out of earshot of Emmett and we approached the stairwell.

Edward chuckled. "Yeah. Emmett gets a kick out of stuff like that. He was voted into the Homecoming court both years he went to his old high school before we moved out here. The fact that he's so good at football helps him get over the new student complex, I think. He's psyched about the Homecoming game on Friday."

"Yeah, I think I remember Mike mentioning something about that, how Emmett's our best bet of making it very far this season." Mike was on the junior varsity team, which was still pretty impressive for a freshman. Or so he told me. I wouldn't really know.

Edward furrowed his brow at the mention of Mike. He opened his mouth as if he had something he wanted to say, but closed it hesitantly. I pretended not to notice.

"So, what super hero are you going to dress up as tomorrow now that you already used up your Superman costume?" I asked, hoping Edward would catch on to my desire to lift us out of the awkward silence.

"Okay, first of all, this is not a _costume_. These are my _pajamas_, hence why I am wearing them for Pajama Day," he pointed out to me, gesturing over his ensemble with a wave of his hand and a matter-of-fact expression. "But to answer your question, tomorrow I am going to dress up as Superman. And to answer your next question," he raised a finger to stop me from interrupting him, "Yes, I have a separate _costume_ for that. Actually, I'm going to wear a shirt and tie to school and go as Clark Kent, and wear this Superman shirt underneath. I got these thick-rimmed glasses from the dollar store with Emmett over the weekend. It's going to be awesome."

I laughed. "Wow. You _reall_y like Superman."

"Hey, he's the ultimate super hero," Edward argued. "Who wouldn't want to be like him? He's fast, he can fly, he's strong, he can see through stuff…" he trailed off.

I snorted. "See through stuff? You're talking about X-ray vision, aren't you? I wonder what Superman would have done as a teenager in high school. I'd keep him away from the girls locker room."

"Can't say I'd blame you," he agreed with a laugh. Instantaneously, however, he wore a serious expression as he glanced back at me. "Hey—so," he mumbled awkwardly, "did Mike ask you to the Homecoming Dance?"

I cringed. "Yeah." I didn't elaborate on it. "How did you know?"

Edward shrugged. "Word gets around." He paused. "Are you going with him?"

"No." I avoided his gaze.

"Were you planning on going to the Homecoming Dance?" His voice was soft.

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh—no. I don't do dances."

"Why not?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "Really, Edward? You haven't seen me in gym class, but you should know that I can barely put one foot in front of the other without falling flat on my face."

Edward smiled. "But still," he interjected. "It would be fun. It's really not that bad, dancing. What's great about dances these days is as long as you're moving and having a good time, no one's going to make fun of you."

I snorted. "That's easy for you to say." I frowned at a new realization. "Did Mike ask you to talk me into going to the dance with him or something?" Is that why Edward was acting so weird?

"No!" Edward insisted. "I just thought maybe you should go. I mean, I'll be there. It would be fun to see you there. We don't hang out outside of school, you know? A group of us are going…We're going to get dinner in Port Angeles beforehand and go to the dance. You should come with us."

I frowned. Funny, when _Mike_ asked me to go to the dance with him, he said we would be going in a big group too, but somehow, he just made it seem horribly unappealing. Edward, however, was able to make it sound like it could be fun. "I don't know…" I fingered the hanging strap of my backpack that was hanging at waist level. We had reached the destination for my algebra class, so we just lingered by the doorway. "I don't have a dress or anything…" I sighed. I could tell out of my peripheral vision that Edward was starting to smile as though in triumph. Well, he hadn't won me over yet. "Who else is going?" I asked.

Edward scrunched up his face in thought as he started listing them off. "Well, me."

I rolled me eyes. "Yeah, I knew that." I waited for him to continue.

Edward's eyes went up into his head as he started counting off with his fingers. "Well, Tyler… Ben… Angela… Eric… Jessica… Lauren—"

"Lauren's going?" The name automatically sent acid up from my stomach to my throat.

"Yeah, but don't worry about her. I'll make sure she's nice to you," he assured.

I looked at him skeptically. "But see, that's the thing about Lauren. She's like a stink bomb—she's a sneaky kind of mean, you know?"

Edward shrugged reluctantly. "Yeah, I know. But come on. Don't let the fact that she's going to be there convince you not to come." His eyes looked at me hopefully. He ran his fingers through his messy bronze hair and hooked his thumbs behind the straps of his backpack.

I contemplated it. I felt comfortable with Edward; he was such a great person to be around, at least from what I knew in class. I almost believed him when he said the dance would be fun. But the thing was, I just really didn't want to go. The idea of me attempting to dance in public turned me off. The concept of me buying a dress for the occasion made me want to cringe. And the fact that Lauren would be around made that lack of desire even more apparent. "I don't think so, Edward. And plus, I don't think Mike would be very happy to know that I'm going to the dance after I already turned him down."

Edward smirked, enjoying his own private joke, before he looked up at me with a sigh. "Alright. Well, if you change your mind, we'll make room for you."

I nodded, smiling that he seemed to understand. We waved goodbye to each other as he walked away and I headed into my classroom.

Why did it not surprise me that Jessica greeted me with an intense expression, her eyes practically bugging out of her head.

"Well?" she prodded, not waiting for me to sit down to begin her interrogation.

I shot her a look of confusion.

"What were you talking to Edward about?"

_None of your business_, I answered in my head. "Nothing."

"Not nothing. He asked you to the dance, didn't he?"

I shrugged. I hated how hot my face felt all of a sudden. "I'm not going."

Jessica's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, you're not going? Did he not ask you? I thought for sure he was going to ask you—"

"Yeah, he asked me." Ugh. I hated talking about this. "But I'm not going."

Jessica was bewildered. "You turned him down?"

"Yeah, but he understands. I mean, I hate dances, I don't have a dress. He said that you were all going together in a big group, right? He was just being nice by asking me, that's all."

Jessica shook her head and grabbed me by the shoulders, talking slowly as if I was two years old. "No, he was not just being nice, Bella. I thought you knew. Edward likes you."

"Yeah, I know. I like him, too." I purposely turned away from her to face the chalkboard, hoping Jessica would take the hint that I wanted to stop this stupid conversation.

Jessica didn't. "No," she said in a low hush. "I don't think you understand, Bella. He really _likes_ you."

Oh. _Oh._ "What? But it's not like that between us. We have fun together. He's like a little brother to me," I argued.

Jessica raised her eyebrow. "Better not tell Edward that. Well, whatever. It probably means he'll go to the dance with Tanya now."

"Tanya? Tanya Denali?"

"Yeah. She asked Edward to go to the dance with her like a couple of days ago and Edward told her that he'd think about it. I guess he was waiting to see what you'd say."

"Oh. Well, yeah. Tanya's nice. Edward would have a good time with her."

Jessica looked at me skeptically. "You know, I'm sure it's not too late to change your mind."

I shook my head. "No, no. I hate dances. And besides, Mike asked me. How horrible would that look if I went with Edward after I turned Mike down?"

Jessica shrugged. "I guess."

Evidently, Jessica lost interest in our discussion at last, because she finally twisted her torso away from me to look at the board. Still, I couldn't help but notice the sidelong glances she kept stealing in my direction, and I wondered if I was just being paranoid.

When our teacher broke us up into partners to work on our next assignment for the rest of the class period, Jessica spoke as though no lull existed from our previous dialogue.

"Did you know that Edward's second period class is on the first floor?" Jessica mentioned as she lazily traced designs onto her worksheet with the tip of her pencil.

My eyes widened in surprise. "It is?"

"Yup. Lauren says that he's late to class almost every day."

Why hadn't I known that before? I knew that his second class was English, but it never occurred to me that the English wing was connected to the Science wing on the first floor. That meant that Edward had been walking up and down an entire flight of stairs just to walk me to class every morning. "Wow."

Jessica looked smug as she turned her attention back to her worksheet.

I was too distracted to make any sense of the numbers on the page in front of me.

**_Present Day_**

I drew shapes out of the fog my breath was creating on the glass next to me as I let my my mind wander with the ever pressing questions circling around Edward. Would I ever see him again? Would I even want to see him again after he inevitably found out what my book was about?

I stole several glances at him during our drive back to the coffee shop, so I could memorize him clearly--the sharp contours of his jaw, the piercing green of his eyes, the way his knuckles turned white when he clenched the steering wheel as he made turns with the car…and in my mind, I imagined that he stole glances at me too.

"You know what I just realized?" My head snapped up with surprise at my own voice. I turned to Edward's expectant face. "No one recognized you at the coffee shop. There were so many people in there. Surely someone knew who you were. You're a big movie star!" I exclaimed.

Edward chuckled. "I don't know which coffee shop you were in, but unfortunately, people did recognize us. Who needs paparazzi when you've got teenagers with camera phones," he sighed. "But yes, there were people who recognized us. Both of us. You're a celebrity too, you know."

I blushed, ignoring his last comment. "What are you talking about? I was in the same coffee shop, and I don't remember anyone—"

"Well, I think you were a little preoccupied with the table you pushed over—"

"Shut up! I did not push the table over! It fell over!"

"Sure, all by itself? Tell me something; if Bella falls down in the middle of a forest and no one is there to see it, does she still blush as red as a tomato?"

_Oh God_, now my ears were hot. "I don't know," I mumbled, turning my head away from him so he couldn't see my crimson face.

I felt a soft touch on my left arm. "Sorry, Bella. I couldn't resist."

I was determined to keep my glare upon him but one look at his perfect face smiling at me so earnestly melted every drop of contempt away. "Did people take pictures?"

"Of the coffee lake you created on the floor?" He laughed, but patted my arm comfortingly as he spun the steering wheel with his other hand to make another turn. "I don't think so. People seemed to have gotten their take while we were waiting in line. Also, you were in the bathroom when the group of high school girls bombarded me for my autograph. They wanted to know if you were my girlfriend." He rolled his eyes. My skin blushed furiously. "You're lucky they left before they could get to you. Did you seriously not notice? I swear, half the room couldn't take their eyes off of you."

Of course they couldn't. I was with him. I cringed. "I guess I was just too preoccupied with the table I pushed over," I remarked sarcastically.

"Ha ha." Edward pulled into a parking spot in front of the coffee shop, and I could see more clearly now. Apparently, the presence of Edward caused me to be completely blind to whatever was happening in the rest of the world around me. It was definitely obvious that people were staring at us now. Even through the large glass windows of the small shop, I could see people gawking at Edward and me like we were parts of a museum exhibit.

I heard the cranking sound of the parking break, and it triggered something much more final to me. My sigh was immediate. "I'm really glad we ran into each other. I'm glad you called me."

I heard the click and swish of his seatbelt as he released it. On reflex, I undid my own and shifted my body to look at him more easily. His warm eyes met mine. "Me too."

I stuck out my hand to shake his and his brow furrowed. He lifted an eyebrow, observing me for a short moment before bursting open the car door on his side. Before I could make sense of what he was doing, he was already opening my door and pulled me out of the car by my arm.

"It's been six years since we've seen each other and you're going to say goodbye by shaking my hand?" Edward shook his head disbelievingly. "Silly, Bella," he said softly.

I forgot to breathe. My senses were too focused on the fact that his hands were going around me, underneath my coat and pulling me closer. Closer. My face was flush against his hard chest. My hands and arms acted on their own accord as I trailed them up from my sides and traced them around his upper body, feeling through his thin sweater and going underneath his jacket just as he had with me. Rib by rib my hands found their placement on the thick flesh of his back and knew that's where they were meant to stay.

I experienced something surreal in that moment. It felt like someone was patching up a hole in my chest that I never knew existed. This hug was different than the one I experienced with him in the grocery store just a day ago. Somehow.

I wondered if he noticed, too.

I felt him pull away and I begrudgingly did the same. I was caught off guard, however, when he didn't pull away completely. His arms still encased me, his hands held onto each of my shoulders. I tilted my head to properly see his face.

"Call me if you're ever in LA," he murmured. I couldn't tear away from his scrutinizing expression if I tried. What was he trying to figure out? Was I more transparent than I realized?

I nodded. Of course I would do anything he asked. But would he want me to call him when he knew how I felt about him? How I really felt? As much as I wanted him to accept my infatuation with a mirrored response and a kiss on the lips, I honestly didn't know what he would think, and that lack of knowing made me feel more vulnerable than I was willing to be. I didn't want to call him on the off-chance that he read my book, and didn't feel the same way. Why risk it?

He turned his body, never leaving contact with mine, so that his back was facing his car now. He leaned back against it, pulling away from me, but grabbing my hands when they slid down from my arms, caressing them gently with the pad of his thumbs. His hands were cold from the chill of the air, but they lit a fire on my skin and burned me from the inside out.

I willed myself not to close my eyes. I was afraid this would all go away if I did.

Instead, I dared myself to look into his eyes. He wasn't smiling anymore, but his eyes still held the sparkling reminisce of a good joke we shared a moment ago.

No words were said out loud, but it was as though a million thoughts were exchanged between us. In my head, I shouted out the depths of my attraction for him, and despite whatever Edward might have felt for me at that moment, it was apparent something was going on behind those pretty eyes. What was he thinking? Did I want to know?

My breath hitched when I felt his hand brush my cold cheek. My eyes closed instinctively. My face warmed. My head turned into the hand, drawn to it like a magnet.

I could hear his breathing now. Shorter, more complicated breaths. Why? It was as though he was…nervous? I opened my eyes, and my brain stalled again. His face loomed closer, his eyes were a darker green, and his hand held purchase on the hollow of my neck. I felt his icy fingers trace lightly on the exposed skin where my scarf was not protecting it.

And as soon as the moment came, it was gone. Burst like a soap bubble. Edward's eyes diverted quickly past my head, and it wasn't until I turned that I saw the cameras.

Paparazzi in Forks, Washington?

"How did they know?" I asked, confused as I looked at Edward's livid expression.

"Jessica must have tipped them off," he answered in a hushed tone. He broke his grasp quicker than I could snap my fingers.

"Why would she do that?" I frowned. Surely, Jessica was of the annoying sort, but she was hardly what I would call malicious.

"It's her job, isn't it?" Edward responded. "Publicity. Good publicity, bad publicity. Doesn't matter as long as it gets me attention." He chuckled darkly.

I snorted. "It looks like Jessica's really found her calling, hasn't she? Oh God. Well, how does my hair look at least?" I dramatically batted my eyelashes and primped my hair with one hand.

Edward laughed wholeheartedly. "You're not bothered by the cameras?"

I shrugged. "Well, I don't love them. Luckily, Alice has taught me the importance of always being camera ready. I'm just upset that you came here to get away from all of this and you can't seem to escape it."

Edward smiled appreciatively. "You've really changed, haven't you? I didn't think you'd turn all Paris Hilton on me."

I shoved him playfully. "Hey, two hours ago you were saying I was the 'same old Bella Swan,'" I reminded him. "Compare me to Paris again and I will slap you, I swear."

"Whatever gives me an excuse to see you again." He looked at me with a measure of intensity that took me back to my earlier years of high school. Was he being serious now, or joking? I could never truly make a deduction when my own desires clouded my perception.

I gulped. I shifted my eyes, letting them focus on anything but Edward. "Well, yeah. I mean, I'll call you when I'm in LA. The next time I'm in LA."

"You know, I didn't believe you the first time you said it, and I certainly don't believe you now." Edward leaned in, forcing me to look at his face. "I want to keep in touch with you, Bella. Seeing you this weekend made me realize how much I missed having you around. I don't want another six years to go by before I see you again, you know?"

I nodded. I knew.

"Don't you want to be my friend?" Edward asked coyly. He sounded so incredibly young when he spoke like that.

I tilted my head to the side. I couldn't hide the sadness in my eyes. I didn't want to be his friend. I wanted to be so much more.

I smiled as I took my first steps away. I reached into my pocket to grab my car keys and turned back one more time. _No, no, no_, I thought_. I don't want tears. Not now. _"I'll call you if I'm ever in LA. I promise."

I turned my head away, not bothering to look back. The water welling up in my eyes would give me away. I knew he didn't believe me, as I said the words a third time. I didn't know if I believed me either.

I hurried to my car and was inside with the engine running before I could count to ten.

I saw my cell phone sitting on the dashboard of my car. The light emitting from the cover was blinking a bright red, which meant I had messages on my voice mail . Grateful for any sort of distraction, I grabbed the phone, flipped the cover open, and pressed the appropriate buttons before holding it up to my ear. Simultaneously, I released my parking break and reversed out of my spot, giving Edward one final glance as I drove out of it.

I waved one last time, willing myself not to let him see the heartache I felt at that moment. He brought his hand up in response, and his smile was friendly enough, but it wasn't Edward's smile. That saddened me.

I saw that the three men with the expensive looking Nikons were closing in on Edward, his body still leaning against his car, watching me pull away. He seemed to notice this too, because he lifted himself from the car and stood up straight in a huff. A crowd was starting to form around him, of people wanting his autograph, to take a picture with the movie star, or with people who just desired to be in his presence.

That was his life; people adoring him from all directions. And here was mine, in a separate car. In a separate world.

Sure, I understood his celebrity, probably better than most, but that didn't mean I was anywhere in his league. He was attending red carpet events. I was attending book signings. I was successful, yes. I was rich, yes. But I wasn't exactly glamorous and Edward deserved the whole package, didn't he? The idea of him escorting some mousy brown haired woman to any sort of premiere was laughable.

At least I had one day with him. I had a really good day with him.

I was in the middle of listening to a message from Alice before I realized that I wasn't paying attention at all to what she was saying. I pressed "1" to hear the message again.

"Hi, Bella! I just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Tell your family I say 'Hi' and I can't wait to see you when you get back. Let's go out for drinks or something, okay? Call me!"

I pressed "7" to delete. I wouldn't forget to call Alice back.

"You have 2 new voice messages," said the monotone voice of a female.

I waited patiently for the next message to start. I sighed, flipping on the turn signal with my index finger as the rest of my hand stayed wrapped around the steering wheel. My foot inched off the gas pedal and moved towards the brake.

"Hi, Bella. This is Esme."

**AN: I know it's an evil place to stop, but just think that I could have stopped it a lot sooner! Hehe. Please review! I'd love to hear what ****you think!**


	7. Story is Being Discontinued

I'm pulling a Stephenie Meyer and discontinuing all of my stories indefinitely.

It was a personal decision, one that I've struggled with for weeks….hence why my ladies at Twilighted thought I was MIA, which I was. I'm sorry. You may hate me, but I still love and cherish you ladies like crazy! I know, corny, but true.

In a nutshell, I'm just too busy to carry on at the moment.

In another nutshell, I've been faced with other priorities in my real life that take precedence over my fan-fiction one.

I'll never say never….but the reality is, I'm just moving on to focus on other avenues in my life. Some of you might make the argument that I never updated enough in the first place, but in reality, I devoted hours to my writing, and sadly other areas of my life (including my social life) suffered. And, I kinda like having real-life friends too. I know, I said "life" a lot.

Before I get loads of messages saying "How dare you", etc…. I realize it's horrible of me to quit fan-fiction when I had yet to finish a single one of my stories, let alone a smutty scene, but sadly, it doesn't change a thing.

No amount of hate mail is going to make me want to write another chapter.

A nicer thing to do might be to convince another one of the wonderful writers of the fanfiction world to maybe continue where I left off, which I wouldn't mind a bit, as long as I believe the author can do it justice.

If that's not doable, depending on how I feel, I might post in a couple of weeks a detailed synopsis of each story, so you at least can feel a small amount of peace knowing how the odds and ends were tied up.

And if you don't like it, write your own ending.

I appreciate all of the support and generous messages with each chapter. I loved reading all of the reviews, and was so surprised that people liked my stories so much. I may start writing again, but like I've always said, it's just a hobby, not my job, not my career.

I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone with this news.


	8. New Author!

Hey!!

I want to thank everyone for the encouraging messages and for being so understanding about my decision! I really appreciate it, and I'm so flattered that I've been able to reach so many people with my stories! I've gotten literally hundreds of messages, so I'm sorry that I haven't written back everybody who took the time to write me!

Well, for those of you who were hoping I would choose new authors to take over my stories, here's some good news! I was overwhelmed with the responses from people who offered to take over my stories, and am extremely flattered that so many of you wanted my Edwards to live on! I had a hard time choosing the new authors, because I wanted to make sure I'd end up with writers who I knew would do the stories justice. I am so lucky to have found incredible authors who were willing to continue all three of my stories!! I hope that everyone will join me in congratulating them... I know they're going to do great!

And for anyone who sends them messages or reviews saying that they aren't doing the stories justice... I'll hunt you. J/k. But really, please understand that as great as I believe these authors are (and I know you'll love them too if you don't already), they are not me. In fact, they very well might be better than me, and I welcome that. But don't expect them to write exactly as I do. That's all. Accept it for what it is, and you'll love the stories as much as I know I will!!

So, go ahead and search them, because they'll be writing from their accounts, not mine.

Volterra Rocks: ** Halojones** and **bethaboo**. Beta- **KRC81**

When Fiction Becomes Reality: **Bittenev**. Beta- **shwriteme**

Piano Lessons: ** Edwardsothalova** and **Withthevampsofcourse**

I know...awesome, right? I'm so excited!


	9. New Chapter is UP!

Well hello there. The long awaited continuation of **When Fiction Becomes Reality** has officially begun. You'll be happy to know that **BITTENEV** has posted the next chapter under her profile!

I know a ton of you asked me to post a link..... I'm too lazy, BUT just go to my profile and click the link to my favorite authors, and there she will be, so you can find the story that way. Make sure you subscribe to her, because I will NOT be posting any new chapters to my site. BUT I would love it of course if you dropped me a line every now and again.

As with all of my authors, keep in mind that as amazing as they all are, their writing styles are different. Have an open mind and be kind. I know some of you were hoping I would just let the stories remain unfinished, but I went with the majority and felt that it was fair to let someone else take over my stories as long as I had an incredible amount of faith that they would do a great job with it. But I'd also like to mention that BITTENEV does indeed do a great job with this transition fa sho!

NO, I will NOT send out PMs or write summaries on fanfiction for my stories telling you "what really happened." Now that my stories have been adopted, many of them have decided to follow my outlines, so to write a synopsis for the rest of the story wouldn't be fair to them. I will not send PMs either for special requests, not because I don't like you, but because that would be entirely too time consuming, which is the reason I'm not writing fanfiction anymore in the first place. **IF** I feel up to it, I might write an alternative synopsis or ending when each story is entirely finished.

Ah crap. I forgot what else I was going to say.

Welp. I guess this is really goodbye. Thanks for loving my stories! Feel free to PM me about anything else. I love to hear from you guys! And if you ever frequent the twilighted forum, I've been known to drop in on occasion :)


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